Via Toast
1/31/2008
1/30/2008
Already a fun year in sickness
January's almost over, and I've been ill for most of the month. In addition to my regular allergies, and the weird neck thing I had a couple of weeks back, I spent the weekend with a fever and a snot factory in my head.
I was talking to Loki this morning, and he said "usually when you get sick, your voice gets all sexy...what happened this time?" It is true that when I'm sick, my voice usually gets sexily husky. It's almost Thursday (rehearsal), and I sound like Elaine Stritch if she had laryngitis and smoked a little more. Not sexy at all.
On top of that, the horrible neck pain I had has migrated to my lower back. I can't bend over or pick things up off the ground, or stay in one position for too long, without feeling this dull ache just near my left kidney.
I don't feel horrible, in fact, I tend to feel better if I get up and go to work as opposed to lounging in bed. I think, I haven't actually tried lounging in bed, but that would involve staying in one position for a while, which I already know is not good.
I do feel generally demotivated. I don't feel like eating or watching TV. I've been on the internet but I don't feel like staying on for very long. I have to wash some dishes, and I don't feel like doing that. Malaise, I guess. If my work schedule lets up some, I'll try to get the doctor.
I was talking to Loki this morning, and he said "usually when you get sick, your voice gets all sexy...what happened this time?" It is true that when I'm sick, my voice usually gets sexily husky. It's almost Thursday (rehearsal), and I sound like Elaine Stritch if she had laryngitis and smoked a little more. Not sexy at all.
On top of that, the horrible neck pain I had has migrated to my lower back. I can't bend over or pick things up off the ground, or stay in one position for too long, without feeling this dull ache just near my left kidney.
I don't feel horrible, in fact, I tend to feel better if I get up and go to work as opposed to lounging in bed. I think, I haven't actually tried lounging in bed, but that would involve staying in one position for a while, which I already know is not good.
I do feel generally demotivated. I don't feel like eating or watching TV. I've been on the internet but I don't feel like staying on for very long. I have to wash some dishes, and I don't feel like doing that. Malaise, I guess. If my work schedule lets up some, I'll try to get the doctor.
1/29/2008
Audition Songs
I am once again looking for audition songs, but this time, it's for my audition when I transfer from the Community College to the University. The website has no suggestions as far as what kind of pieces - most auditions will ask you to prepare an art song and an aria, one in a foreign language. The school I am planning to transfer to says nothing.
I went to this website today, and found the list of composers helpful. I was thinking of focusing on woman composers, but I am having a hard time tracking down song samples, so I can hear before I buy anything. I want a song that will play to my strengths (which are limited as far as classical music is concerned) but will challenge me.
I've probably got at least a year before I have to have anything ready, I'm looking now so I can know it backwards and fowards and inside and out, so it's a part of me.
I went to this website today, and found the list of composers helpful. I was thinking of focusing on woman composers, but I am having a hard time tracking down song samples, so I can hear before I buy anything. I want a song that will play to my strengths (which are limited as far as classical music is concerned) but will challenge me.
I've probably got at least a year before I have to have anything ready, I'm looking now so I can know it backwards and fowards and inside and out, so it's a part of me.
1/27/2008
How you know it's time to change the channel...
"Ladies and gentleman, Debra Messing and Zac Efron!"
1/20/2008
Brief Movie Reviews
Fast Times At Ridgemont High
I recorded this movie off of Cinemax even though I've seen it before. In fact, I saw it when it was released, in the movie theater, when I was 14 - my mother bought me the R rated ticket and I went with a boyfriend (not the kissing kind, the boy who is my friend kind).
This movie could not get made today. A comedy where a main character has an abortion? That doesn't ruin her life? Teenage girls who want to have sex but aren't deemed sluts or whores?
It is more flawed than I remember - the emotional lives of the female characters are given short shrift, and there is little style in the direction. I have some problems with the storyline for Jennifer Jason Leigh's character, Stacy. I like that she is not afraid of pursuing a sexual relationship, but the fact that she seems to be motivated by peer pressure from her friend Linda (who is clearly fronting about her own sexual experience) makes her pursuit of a sexual relationship to be somewhat coerced.
The male characters are generally more richly drawn, I assume this is due to the source material being written by a young man (Cameron Crowe).
Not as good as I remember, but this movie would be positively revolutionary if it was released today.
Imagine Me & You
The good: it's a very pretty movie. Matthew Goode is completely charming as the husband of a woman who falls in love at their wedding - with another woman. Giles is in it!
The bad: it is 35 minutes of Piper Perabo moping. There is no chemistry between the two women who are in love. It's boring.
Latter Days
This is a low-budget movie about a West Hollywood boytoy who falls in love with a Mormon missionary. That is a rich topic. Steve Sandvoss was terrific as Aaron Davis, the Mormon missionary who knows that he is attracted to men, but still fights against it because he believes in the religion in which he was raised. Wes Ramsay plays Christian, who makes a bet that he can bed a Mormon, but ends up (as they always do in these "I made a bet" kind of movies) finding the good within himself.
My only problem with the movie (aside from the low-budget, which negatively impacted the appearance of the film, and a couple of the supporting performances, which were amateurish) was the sex scene between Christian and Aaron. I love a good gay sex scene, my friends - men or women. This one was hot, no doubt. But it took me out of the movie - it was movie, movie, movie, soft-core porn! movie, movie, movie. I didn't think that with everything Christian had been through, the sex would have looked like that. It's a quibble, the movie could stand without the sex scene, since the truly intimate moment happens the morning after.
Alphaville
Jean Luc Godard's most accessible and linear film. It's still not terribly accessible or linear, but it is interesting, even if the ending seems simplistic. Since we kept going back to see things we missed, it took Loki and I about 4 hours to watch this 1 hour and 40 minute long film.
I recorded this movie off of Cinemax even though I've seen it before. In fact, I saw it when it was released, in the movie theater, when I was 14 - my mother bought me the R rated ticket and I went with a boyfriend (not the kissing kind, the boy who is my friend kind).
This movie could not get made today. A comedy where a main character has an abortion? That doesn't ruin her life? Teenage girls who want to have sex but aren't deemed sluts or whores?
It is more flawed than I remember - the emotional lives of the female characters are given short shrift, and there is little style in the direction. I have some problems with the storyline for Jennifer Jason Leigh's character, Stacy. I like that she is not afraid of pursuing a sexual relationship, but the fact that she seems to be motivated by peer pressure from her friend Linda (who is clearly fronting about her own sexual experience) makes her pursuit of a sexual relationship to be somewhat coerced.
The male characters are generally more richly drawn, I assume this is due to the source material being written by a young man (Cameron Crowe).
Not as good as I remember, but this movie would be positively revolutionary if it was released today.
Imagine Me & You
The good: it's a very pretty movie. Matthew Goode is completely charming as the husband of a woman who falls in love at their wedding - with another woman. Giles is in it!
The bad: it is 35 minutes of Piper Perabo moping. There is no chemistry between the two women who are in love. It's boring.
Latter Days
This is a low-budget movie about a West Hollywood boytoy who falls in love with a Mormon missionary. That is a rich topic. Steve Sandvoss was terrific as Aaron Davis, the Mormon missionary who knows that he is attracted to men, but still fights against it because he believes in the religion in which he was raised. Wes Ramsay plays Christian, who makes a bet that he can bed a Mormon, but ends up (as they always do in these "I made a bet" kind of movies) finding the good within himself.
My only problem with the movie (aside from the low-budget, which negatively impacted the appearance of the film, and a couple of the supporting performances, which were amateurish) was the sex scene between Christian and Aaron. I love a good gay sex scene, my friends - men or women. This one was hot, no doubt. But it took me out of the movie - it was movie, movie, movie, soft-core porn! movie, movie, movie. I didn't think that with everything Christian had been through, the sex would have looked like that. It's a quibble, the movie could stand without the sex scene, since the truly intimate moment happens the morning after.
Alphaville
Jean Luc Godard's most accessible and linear film. It's still not terribly accessible or linear, but it is interesting, even if the ending seems simplistic. Since we kept going back to see things we missed, it took Loki and I about 4 hours to watch this 1 hour and 40 minute long film.
1/14/2008
Oh, insomnia, my too frequent companion!
I have had about 3 hours of sleep in the past 2 days; I have put myself to bed 4 times tonight and as soon as my head hits the pillow, my eyes pop open and my brain starts going like mad - I have one sided conversations with people I know, imagine what my bedroom will look like when I get around to working on it, make lists of all the things that need to be done in the house, try to think about ways to make more money....and sleep eludes me.
And then there is the pain in my hip, which makes it difficult to find a comfortable position to sleep in.
I've taken Nyquil, and I've taken Tylenol PM. I'm tired, but I don't seem to be able to shut down.
I was up really late last night because we went to SIL's house to play Parcheesi, and we kept having to play rematches because Loki is a Parcheesi savant - nearly every time he had the dice in his hand, he rolled the optimum roll. It took the combined power of me, SIL and BIL, playing with the primary goal of taking down Loki, to keep him from winning the final game. And even so, he came in second!
So we didn't get home until 2:30, and then I couldn't get to sleep right away, so I slept from about 5 or so till about 7:30, when I had to get up for Mass. I was pretty bleary, but I didn't nap because I was worried that if I slept too much during the day, I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. Clearly, that didn't work.
And then there is the pain in my hip, which makes it difficult to find a comfortable position to sleep in.
I've taken Nyquil, and I've taken Tylenol PM. I'm tired, but I don't seem to be able to shut down.
I was up really late last night because we went to SIL's house to play Parcheesi, and we kept having to play rematches because Loki is a Parcheesi savant - nearly every time he had the dice in his hand, he rolled the optimum roll. It took the combined power of me, SIL and BIL, playing with the primary goal of taking down Loki, to keep him from winning the final game. And even so, he came in second!
So we didn't get home until 2:30, and then I couldn't get to sleep right away, so I slept from about 5 or so till about 7:30, when I had to get up for Mass. I was pretty bleary, but I didn't nap because I was worried that if I slept too much during the day, I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. Clearly, that didn't work.
1/11/2008
Music for Albert
I knew Albert for seven years, but I didn't know that he preferred to be called Albert until his memorial service, which was held last Saturday.
Most of the choir members I sang with during my tenure at South Church came to the service, and we put on our old robes and gathered in the choir loft and sang for Albert.
First: Most of Sing Me To Heaven
The first few lines are missing, but the lyrics are:
In my heart's sequestered chambers lie truths stripped of poet's gloss.
Words alone are vain and vacant and my heart is mute.
In response to aching silence memory summons half-heard voices
and my soul finds primal eloquence and wraps me in song.
Wraps me in song.
If you would comfort me, sing me a lullabye.
If you would win my heart, sing me a love song.
If you would mourn me and bring me to God,
sing me a requiem.
Sing me to heaven.
Touch in me all love and passion, pain and pleasure
Touch in me grief and comfort, love and passion, pain and pleasure.
Sing me a lullabye, a love song, a requiem.
Love me, comfort me, bring me to God.
Sing me a love song, sing me to heaven.
This is the not the best we've ever done, but that may be because several of us were weeping.
Next is the Kyrie Elaison from John Rutter's Requiem:
Our organist and I had a discussion about Rutter, who is kind of a guilty pleasure of both of ours. He mentioned that in his one of his music theory classes in college, the students all used to make fun of silly Rutter, but damned if the sweetness of his compositions doesn't just grow on you.
Also from Rutter's Requiem: Lux Aeterna
This features Sarah Callinan on the soprano solo. She was our soprano section leader for 4 or 5 of the years I sang at the church. I think much of the piece sounds better when sung by a boy's choir (that "lux aeterna, luce at eis" sung with the purity that can only really be achieved by young treble voices is so lovely), but I love her voice on the solo.
Sadly, my camera ran out of memory and Loki wasn't able to capture our last song, And I Saw A New Heaven, which is a glorious piece of music, and one that I think we actually performed better than we ever had before, but....like all of us, it was ephemeral and fleeting and will only live on the memory of those who were there. Which is appropriate, I guess.
Most of the choir members I sang with during my tenure at South Church came to the service, and we put on our old robes and gathered in the choir loft and sang for Albert.
First: Most of Sing Me To Heaven
The first few lines are missing, but the lyrics are:
In my heart's sequestered chambers lie truths stripped of poet's gloss.
Words alone are vain and vacant and my heart is mute.
In response to aching silence memory summons half-heard voices
and my soul finds primal eloquence and wraps me in song.
Wraps me in song.
If you would comfort me, sing me a lullabye.
If you would win my heart, sing me a love song.
If you would mourn me and bring me to God,
sing me a requiem.
Sing me to heaven.
Touch in me all love and passion, pain and pleasure
Touch in me grief and comfort, love and passion, pain and pleasure.
Sing me a lullabye, a love song, a requiem.
Love me, comfort me, bring me to God.
Sing me a love song, sing me to heaven.
This is the not the best we've ever done, but that may be because several of us were weeping.
Next is the Kyrie Elaison from John Rutter's Requiem:
Our organist and I had a discussion about Rutter, who is kind of a guilty pleasure of both of ours. He mentioned that in his one of his music theory classes in college, the students all used to make fun of silly Rutter, but damned if the sweetness of his compositions doesn't just grow on you.
Also from Rutter's Requiem: Lux Aeterna
This features Sarah Callinan on the soprano solo. She was our soprano section leader for 4 or 5 of the years I sang at the church. I think much of the piece sounds better when sung by a boy's choir (that "lux aeterna, luce at eis" sung with the purity that can only really be achieved by young treble voices is so lovely), but I love her voice on the solo.
Sadly, my camera ran out of memory and Loki wasn't able to capture our last song, And I Saw A New Heaven, which is a glorious piece of music, and one that I think we actually performed better than we ever had before, but....like all of us, it was ephemeral and fleeting and will only live on the memory of those who were there. Which is appropriate, I guess.
1/10/2008
Things you may not know
One pet rabbit can make a surprising amount of noise. The bunny is hopping around his cage upstairs, and it sounds like an adult male is thumping around. It is disconcerting.
1/08/2008
Question
Why is the preferred drive-time offering on the average FM station a pair of obnoxious men with 1 raspy voiced woman?
As a follow up: do people actually like morning DJs and find them amusing?
(I was forced to turn on the radio this morning because I left my CDs in the backseat, and I just don't understand this seemingly ubiquitous configuration or how people find it something that they want to listen to.)
As a follow up: do people actually like morning DJs and find them amusing?
(I was forced to turn on the radio this morning because I left my CDs in the backseat, and I just don't understand this seemingly ubiquitous configuration or how people find it something that they want to listen to.)
1/01/2008
2007 Meme (via Toast)
1. What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before? felt confident about my abilities as a singer.
2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?I did keep my NY resolution from last year, which was to cook more often for my family. By the middle of the year, I had a weekly menu that got posted to the refrigerator. This year, my resolution is to get 8 hours of sleep a night. I may be purchasing either more Nyquil or Tylenol PM to make this happen.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?One of my co-workers had a baby girl last Friday.
4. Did anyone close to you die? My friends Al and Linda.
5. What places did you visit?New York City for Tartfest. The Bronx and Worcester for college visits.
6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007? more self discipline
7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? I can't think of anything right now.
8. What was your biggest achievement(s) of the year? getting into a professional a cappella group; getting recognition for my work at my workplace, even if it was not recognized in as green and dollarlike a fashion as I would have preferred; keeping my patience with my husband.
9. What was your biggest failure? I didn't lose any weight.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? too often
11. What was the best thing you bought? a dishwasher
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? my sister Bernadette
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Joe Lieberman; everyone associated with the Bush administration.
14. Where did most of your money go? according to Quicken, most of my money went to "other". Of course, I just downloaded it, so I'm sure that as we move forward in 2008, most of my money will go to the mortgage, followed by education, insurance, medical needs, food, pets, other.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Sio going to college.
16. What song will always remind you of 2007?And I Saw A New Heaven, even though it's an old song.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) Happier or sadder? sadder and wiser
b) thinner or fatter? same
c) richer or poorer? poorer
18. What do you wish you'd done more of? read, socialized with friends, written letters, been a better parent.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?Eating of garbage food, watching TV, spending time on the computer.
20. How did you spend Christmas last year? In 2006, I spent Xmas with my in-laws.
21. Did you fall in love in 2007? no
22. How many one-night stands? zero
23. What was your favorite TV program? Pushing Daisies
24. What did you do for your birthday in 2007? I can't remember
25. What was the best book you read? Pride & Prejudice
26. What was your greatest musical discovery? Ruthie Foster
27. What did you want and get? a dishwasher
28. What did you want and not get? a computer for myself
29. What was your favorite film of this year? Waitress
30. Did you make some new friends this year? yes
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? graduating from college
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007? What Not To Wear
33. What kept you sane? I think this question makes an unfair assumption about my current level of sanity.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?I'm sure there's someone, but I can't think of anyone at the moment.
35. What political issue stirred you the most?The continued loss of civil liberties in the US.
36. Who did you miss? my sister Theresa, who I hardly saw at all in 2007.
37. Who was the best new person you met? the women in my a cappella group, to a person.
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.That sometimes you can only rely on yourself.
2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?I did keep my NY resolution from last year, which was to cook more often for my family. By the middle of the year, I had a weekly menu that got posted to the refrigerator. This year, my resolution is to get 8 hours of sleep a night. I may be purchasing either more Nyquil or Tylenol PM to make this happen.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?One of my co-workers had a baby girl last Friday.
4. Did anyone close to you die? My friends Al and Linda.
5. What places did you visit?New York City for Tartfest. The Bronx and Worcester for college visits.
6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007? more self discipline
7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? I can't think of anything right now.
8. What was your biggest achievement(s) of the year? getting into a professional a cappella group; getting recognition for my work at my workplace, even if it was not recognized in as green and dollarlike a fashion as I would have preferred; keeping my patience with my husband.
9. What was your biggest failure? I didn't lose any weight.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? too often
11. What was the best thing you bought? a dishwasher
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? my sister Bernadette
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Joe Lieberman; everyone associated with the Bush administration.
14. Where did most of your money go? according to Quicken, most of my money went to "other". Of course, I just downloaded it, so I'm sure that as we move forward in 2008, most of my money will go to the mortgage, followed by education, insurance, medical needs, food, pets, other.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Sio going to college.
16. What song will always remind you of 2007?And I Saw A New Heaven, even though it's an old song.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) Happier or sadder? sadder and wiser
b) thinner or fatter? same
c) richer or poorer? poorer
18. What do you wish you'd done more of? read, socialized with friends, written letters, been a better parent.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?Eating of garbage food, watching TV, spending time on the computer.
20. How did you spend Christmas last year? In 2006, I spent Xmas with my in-laws.
21. Did you fall in love in 2007? no
22. How many one-night stands? zero
23. What was your favorite TV program? Pushing Daisies
24. What did you do for your birthday in 2007? I can't remember
25. What was the best book you read? Pride & Prejudice
26. What was your greatest musical discovery? Ruthie Foster
27. What did you want and get? a dishwasher
28. What did you want and not get? a computer for myself
29. What was your favorite film of this year? Waitress
30. Did you make some new friends this year? yes
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? graduating from college
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007? What Not To Wear
33. What kept you sane? I think this question makes an unfair assumption about my current level of sanity.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?I'm sure there's someone, but I can't think of anyone at the moment.
35. What political issue stirred you the most?The continued loss of civil liberties in the US.
36. Who did you miss? my sister Theresa, who I hardly saw at all in 2007.
37. Who was the best new person you met? the women in my a cappella group, to a person.
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.That sometimes you can only rely on yourself.
12/30/2007
The latest in strange illnesses to hit my house
I woke up last Wednesday with a stiff neck. I went to work, and it just kept getting stiffer and more uncomfortable. I did some ibuprofen loading and that took the edge off - when I got home, I took a Vicodin, and that really helped.
But it was back on Thursday. And Friday, when I called in sick. Now, not only was my neck stiff, but it hurt to swallow, my glands in my throat were swollen, I could feel a sinus infection starting on the right side of my face and my right ear was itchy.
I've had it every day since last Wednesday. It has eased up a bit today, and I went to my sister's house to exchange Xmas gifts and told her about it. And she said she had the exact same thing about 2 weeks ago. If it doesn't clear up by this Wednesday, I'll have to see if I can get in to see my ENT.
But it was back on Thursday. And Friday, when I called in sick. Now, not only was my neck stiff, but it hurt to swallow, my glands in my throat were swollen, I could feel a sinus infection starting on the right side of my face and my right ear was itchy.
I've had it every day since last Wednesday. It has eased up a bit today, and I went to my sister's house to exchange Xmas gifts and told her about it. And she said she had the exact same thing about 2 weeks ago. If it doesn't clear up by this Wednesday, I'll have to see if I can get in to see my ENT.
12/26/2007
Fans of Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber:
Loki is writing something based on the Amber books. Please visit his blog for excerpts, like this one.
Feeling Blue
My mood today is switching between crankiness and melancholy.
I knew this Christmas was not going to be perfect, but it ended up being much farther away from perfect than I expected. Two friends died in the week before Xmas. Loki has some health issues that are going to take some time to resolve, and in the meantime, he's driving me a little crazy over both his health issues and some other things. I was overscheduled due to my three jobs and school. And our budget is so tight that there is little margin for wastefulness, but we, of course, had an unexpected and unwanted $400 expense.
In addition, I am sort of in a bind with taking time off from work. I'm feeling really overwhelmed, and I think I need to take some time off, but because I'm just a lowly admin asst (title-wise and pay-wise only: responsiblity-wise, I am way beyond admin asst), I can't take time off without coordinating with my fellow admin assts - and they are both out for the rest of the week. So I'm stuck here.
And I have a sort of overarching unpleasant feeling lurking inside me. I have a lot of things that I have to figure out, and way too many demands on my time that I should take to do so.
I kind of feel like checking into a hotel room for a day, just to be by myself, just me and my thoughts.
I knew this Christmas was not going to be perfect, but it ended up being much farther away from perfect than I expected. Two friends died in the week before Xmas. Loki has some health issues that are going to take some time to resolve, and in the meantime, he's driving me a little crazy over both his health issues and some other things. I was overscheduled due to my three jobs and school. And our budget is so tight that there is little margin for wastefulness, but we, of course, had an unexpected and unwanted $400 expense.
In addition, I am sort of in a bind with taking time off from work. I'm feeling really overwhelmed, and I think I need to take some time off, but because I'm just a lowly admin asst (title-wise and pay-wise only: responsiblity-wise, I am way beyond admin asst), I can't take time off without coordinating with my fellow admin assts - and they are both out for the rest of the week. So I'm stuck here.
And I have a sort of overarching unpleasant feeling lurking inside me. I have a lot of things that I have to figure out, and way too many demands on my time that I should take to do so.
I kind of feel like checking into a hotel room for a day, just to be by myself, just me and my thoughts.
12/23/2007
I'm devolving
I'm a
Insignificant Microbe
in the
TTLB Ecosystem
Jeez, and earlier today I was a Slithering Reptile!
ETA: And now I'm a Marauding Marsupial. I went from being ranked 21,000+ to being ranked 6040.
I'm not sure I trust these rankings!
Insignificant Microbe
in the
TTLB Ecosystem
Jeez, and earlier today I was a Slithering Reptile!
ETA: And now I'm a Marauding Marsupial. I went from being ranked 21,000+ to being ranked 6040.
I'm not sure I trust these rankings!
Cat or meerkat?
This was the second time I caught Madouc sitting like this. Something caught her eye outside, and she couldn't quite see high enough, so up she popped. She sat like this for about 5 minutes, occasionally stretching up even higher. She's a funny cat.
Our Christmas Tree
Completely decorated by my children. I almost posted another picture that allows you to see the disco ball star on top a little bit better, but this one won out for clarity.
12/22/2007
Review: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Although I had read that the movie was a fairly straightforward adaptation of the original musical, Tim Burton made the choice that the actors would sing without reaction from anyone they interacted with (unless the other character was also singing). I think that is probably a good choice to make for a film of this material, but I was disappointed to lose the chorus numbers, like The Ballad of Sweeney Todd, God That's Good, and the haunting quintet on The Letter.
I also was slightly disappointed that they truncated some of the numbers, like By The Sea, although again, I can justify the decision to do so because the reason some of those songs are included at the length they are in the stage show in the first place is to accommodate set and costume changes, which were unnecessary for a film. I can't say that I missed the lover's frantic duet or the extended version of Pirelli's Miracle Elixir.
Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter both delivered very good performances, acting-wise. One complaint that I've had at various productions of Sweeney Todd is when Mrs. Lovett is turned into some kind of sex maniac. Yes, Mrs. Lovett desires Sweeney, but it's all delusional: she desires a man who doesn't exist - she imagines some sort of normal life for them, but Sweeney is broken, possibly irreparably, before he ever walks into her meat shop. They avoided going down that road in the film.
I thought Alan Rickman was quite good in his role as Judge Turpin. He's a sick man, a predator and capable of great cruelty, and yet sees himself as a trully moral man - he has that kind of self-delusion that a lot of powerful people seem to have.
Sascha Baron Cohen provided both comic relief and some menace as Pirelli. Ed Saunders was Toby, and I'm not sure they could have cast the part more perfectly. He had a baby face and that sweet unchanged voice, but also deftly portrayed that Toby had experienced a hard life and didn't have high expectations for the future.
The story of the lovers got short shrift in the film, which I think was a good choice. Jayne Wisener as Joanna looked like a doll, but as in the stage show, she is less naive than her would-be lover, Anthony Hope. I thought Jamie Bower's voice was a little thin and reedy for the part, but when he sang in the Joanna reprise, I could understand a little better why they cast him, since his thin and reedy voice made Depp's sound positively beefy.
No one else I was with noticed, but there was a cameo by Anthony Stewart Head (causing me to squee: GILES! Although only silently, because I am respectful of others at the movies). Which makes me disappointed that they didn't have him sing anything.
On to the singing! My main complaint about Depp's singing is that too often, he closed the vowel, e.g. "I will have vennnngeance" instead of "I will have veeeengeance", which is sort of a general no-no when singing in a non-rock/non-pop style. That wasn't enough to detract from what was overall a terrific perfomance. He captured the emotional resonance of the character so well.
Bonham-Carter had fairly poor breath support - there was a lot of swooping to the right pitch, and breathiness, and she didn't really hold anything out, but her voice had a sweet clear tone. She did handle the patter of Mrs. Lovett's songs well, and I could understand every word.
I was underwhelmed by the presentation of A Little Priest. Although the choices Burton made can be defended, I didn't feel exhilarated at the end, as I usually do. I did like the nod to the blocking of the original production, though, with Todd and Lovett holding up their "weapons": a butcher's knife and a rolling pin. I would have preferred a more vigorous presentation, but I didn't direct the movie, so all I can do is tell you that in my head, it's a lot more exciting of a number.
The orchestrations were great - they are reason enough to buy the soundtrack. The songs and chorus parts that were cut are in the orchestration, so if you are anything like me, you'll sing along where the movie does not.
All in all, it was a worthwhile adaptation of what is possibly my favorite musical. Not perfect, but very good.
I also was slightly disappointed that they truncated some of the numbers, like By The Sea, although again, I can justify the decision to do so because the reason some of those songs are included at the length they are in the stage show in the first place is to accommodate set and costume changes, which were unnecessary for a film. I can't say that I missed the lover's frantic duet or the extended version of Pirelli's Miracle Elixir.
Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter both delivered very good performances, acting-wise. One complaint that I've had at various productions of Sweeney Todd is when Mrs. Lovett is turned into some kind of sex maniac. Yes, Mrs. Lovett desires Sweeney, but it's all delusional: she desires a man who doesn't exist - she imagines some sort of normal life for them, but Sweeney is broken, possibly irreparably, before he ever walks into her meat shop. They avoided going down that road in the film.
I thought Alan Rickman was quite good in his role as Judge Turpin. He's a sick man, a predator and capable of great cruelty, and yet sees himself as a trully moral man - he has that kind of self-delusion that a lot of powerful people seem to have.
Sascha Baron Cohen provided both comic relief and some menace as Pirelli. Ed Saunders was Toby, and I'm not sure they could have cast the part more perfectly. He had a baby face and that sweet unchanged voice, but also deftly portrayed that Toby had experienced a hard life and didn't have high expectations for the future.
The story of the lovers got short shrift in the film, which I think was a good choice. Jayne Wisener as Joanna looked like a doll, but as in the stage show, she is less naive than her would-be lover, Anthony Hope. I thought Jamie Bower's voice was a little thin and reedy for the part, but when he sang in the Joanna reprise, I could understand a little better why they cast him, since his thin and reedy voice made Depp's sound positively beefy.
No one else I was with noticed, but there was a cameo by Anthony Stewart Head (causing me to squee: GILES! Although only silently, because I am respectful of others at the movies). Which makes me disappointed that they didn't have him sing anything.
On to the singing! My main complaint about Depp's singing is that too often, he closed the vowel, e.g. "I will have vennnngeance" instead of "I will have veeeengeance", which is sort of a general no-no when singing in a non-rock/non-pop style. That wasn't enough to detract from what was overall a terrific perfomance. He captured the emotional resonance of the character so well.
Bonham-Carter had fairly poor breath support - there was a lot of swooping to the right pitch, and breathiness, and she didn't really hold anything out, but her voice had a sweet clear tone. She did handle the patter of Mrs. Lovett's songs well, and I could understand every word.
I was underwhelmed by the presentation of A Little Priest. Although the choices Burton made can be defended, I didn't feel exhilarated at the end, as I usually do. I did like the nod to the blocking of the original production, though, with Todd and Lovett holding up their "weapons": a butcher's knife and a rolling pin. I would have preferred a more vigorous presentation, but I didn't direct the movie, so all I can do is tell you that in my head, it's a lot more exciting of a number.
The orchestrations were great - they are reason enough to buy the soundtrack. The songs and chorus parts that were cut are in the orchestration, so if you are anything like me, you'll sing along where the movie does not.
All in all, it was a worthwhile adaptation of what is possibly my favorite musical. Not perfect, but very good.
12/18/2007
Need a laugh?
I recommend McSweeney's Reviews of New Food
A taste:
A taste:
Gatorade A.M.
Submitted by Chris Olwell
The bottle says Gatorade A.M. helps put back the fluids and energy you lose during a full night's sleep, to which I reply: "It's about time." Finally, someone has engineered an athletic drink for people like me, Athletes of Sleep—people for whom it is less physically taxing to be awake than asleep.
I had to try it. So recently, after a thoroughly exhausting night of sleeping, I woke up with orange-strawberry. I quickly regained all the energy I lost by sleeping so hard.
Sleeping like I do drains fluids from the human body at an astonishing rate. But after drinking 20 ounces of Gatorade A.M., I had fluids to spare. I peed three times in three hours! Four times in four hours! I, and the scientists of the world, remain confounded by the fact that any one of those pees would've filled two 20-ounce Gatorade bottles. Easily.
Plus, Gatorade A.M. also works in the afternoon and early evening if that's when you wake up. A-fucking-mazing.
12/17/2007
The Late Al Rawlins
My friend Al Rawlins died yesterday morning.
I met him in 2000, when I started singing in the church choir in Hartford. He was a bass in the choir. He also taught music in the Hartford school system and at the church, where he was Monkey's first music teacher.
Al reminded me of my husband in so many ways. They are both tall and thin, they both are great conversationalists, and neither one of them are ever on time.
At Thursday night rehearsals, he would routinely show up 20-25 minutes after rehearsal started. Sunday mornings, we often wouldn't see him until just before the service started. At our concerts, we would always have to wait for Al before we could "melt" into place (it was our way: we are a choir that hates processing, so we would just go to our seats in the minutes leading up to the concert start time, in no particular order.)
We had a Pops concert every spring, and the year we were singing songs from Disney movies, no one could find Al. We were all in our seats, and there was no Al. All of a sudden, he came running into the room, dressed as the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, singing "I'm Late". The audience loved it, but I think the choir loved it even more.
R.I.P. Al
I met him in 2000, when I started singing in the church choir in Hartford. He was a bass in the choir. He also taught music in the Hartford school system and at the church, where he was Monkey's first music teacher.
Al reminded me of my husband in so many ways. They are both tall and thin, they both are great conversationalists, and neither one of them are ever on time.
At Thursday night rehearsals, he would routinely show up 20-25 minutes after rehearsal started. Sunday mornings, we often wouldn't see him until just before the service started. At our concerts, we would always have to wait for Al before we could "melt" into place (it was our way: we are a choir that hates processing, so we would just go to our seats in the minutes leading up to the concert start time, in no particular order.)
We had a Pops concert every spring, and the year we were singing songs from Disney movies, no one could find Al. We were all in our seats, and there was no Al. All of a sudden, he came running into the room, dressed as the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, singing "I'm Late". The audience loved it, but I think the choir loved it even more.
R.I.P. Al
12/13/2007
How Can I Keep From Singing?
Well, this has been a big fat week of singing for me, and it's not over yet.
MONDAY: first rehearsal with Harmonious Soul. I was late, which makes me angry, but I do have an excuse. My dog got out of the house while I was at work and he got picked up by the pound, so I had to go bail him out of jail. Poor guy was hoarse from barking, and he lost his collar somewhere, but he's home and warm and safe and well-fed. I am only sad that I couldn't bring home the other dogs, but Loki is not a dog person, so I couldn't bring another canine home *and* stay married.
Okay, so I was a little late, but I apparently missed some socializing. They are a lovely bunch of women, they were so welcoming and I felt appreciated. When I say lovely, I am just scratching the surface. I can't tell you the last time I sat with a group of women I just met and thought "I fit here". So it was great. We worked on 3 songs (On Children; First Date; Ave Maria), got a CD of songs that are currently in the HS repertoire, made a decision about business cards, and then I had to head home.
TUESDAY: Dress rehearsal for Madrigals and Chorale. I cannot say enough wonderful things about my Madrigals teacher, he is just a fantastic teacher, and I wish we had enough skill in our class to sing the songs with the love and passion and ability they deserve. We are singing a gorgeous Vaughan Williams piece "The Lover's Ghost" and an arrangement of "Weep O Mine Eyes" by one of my classmates (who used to be one of Sio's classmates). Dress did not go well. Flat, lifeless....it was sad.
Then came Chorale dress rehearsal. We are singing (and I use that word loosely in this context) "For Unto Us" from The Messiah (or as this group sings it: foruntouSSS a chald is bohorn), Bring A Torch, Jeanette, Isabella, Sanctus from Leonard Bernstein's Mass, and a horrible "gospelite" song that starts with a spoken word introduction that goes, roughly: "This is for that little boy who doesn't have a father, and all the people with AIDS...." Seriously. One of my fellow altos and I have been adding additional lines, like "and for that dog that got run over"
I got a little frustrated and totally took over directing the chorale during the Handel. I did hear some improvement from the men when it came to the rhythm of the "and the goverment..." section. I appreciate that our director allowed me to take the reins, she was frustrated herself, but I figure that when you have said the same thing 50 times, sometimes it helps to find another way to say it.
WEDNESDAY: Been listening to my HS CD....I love almost all the songs we're doing, but some of the bass lines will need to be spiced up, I think. My wonderful Mads teacher called for another rehearsal, so I picked Monkey up from school and she came with me. We made a lot of progress. We have two people in the group who don't have good tuning, that can't be helped at this point (it's supposed to be an audition only class, but they leave it open for people to apply...I hope they change that, because too much time is spent learning notes), but I think we won't embarrass our leader, either.
I'm giddy tonight because I don't have to work tomorrow or Friday! I'm kind of bummed, though, because we're supposed to get 6" of snow tomorrow.
Later in this singing week:
THURSDAY: Depending on the weather, I have rehearsal for my church gig, which is always slightly depressing.
FRIDAY: Sio comes home from school! And I have my school concert. Loki will come, because there is free food, put out by the culinary students. I don't know if he'll ever make it into the auditorium, but he'll be there.
P.S. The title of this post is a link to a piece of sheet music arranged by Sio's high school choral director. It's a beautiful a cappella piece, you can hear a sample performance at the link (the basses are a little too loud in the sample, but it gives you the general idea)
The lyrics are:
My life goes on in endless song
above earth's lamentations,
I hear the real, though far-off hymn
that hails a new creation.
Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear it's music ringing,
It sounds an echo in my soul.
How can I keep from singing?
While though the tempest loudly roars,
I hear the truth, it liveth.
And though the darkness 'round me close,
songs in the night it giveth.
No storm can shake my inmost calm,
while to that rock I'm clinging.
Since love is lord of heaven and earth
how can I keep from singing?
MONDAY: first rehearsal with Harmonious Soul. I was late, which makes me angry, but I do have an excuse. My dog got out of the house while I was at work and he got picked up by the pound, so I had to go bail him out of jail. Poor guy was hoarse from barking, and he lost his collar somewhere, but he's home and warm and safe and well-fed. I am only sad that I couldn't bring home the other dogs, but Loki is not a dog person, so I couldn't bring another canine home *and* stay married.
Okay, so I was a little late, but I apparently missed some socializing. They are a lovely bunch of women, they were so welcoming and I felt appreciated. When I say lovely, I am just scratching the surface. I can't tell you the last time I sat with a group of women I just met and thought "I fit here". So it was great. We worked on 3 songs (On Children; First Date; Ave Maria), got a CD of songs that are currently in the HS repertoire, made a decision about business cards, and then I had to head home.
TUESDAY: Dress rehearsal for Madrigals and Chorale. I cannot say enough wonderful things about my Madrigals teacher, he is just a fantastic teacher, and I wish we had enough skill in our class to sing the songs with the love and passion and ability they deserve. We are singing a gorgeous Vaughan Williams piece "The Lover's Ghost" and an arrangement of "Weep O Mine Eyes" by one of my classmates (who used to be one of Sio's classmates). Dress did not go well. Flat, lifeless....it was sad.
Then came Chorale dress rehearsal. We are singing (and I use that word loosely in this context) "For Unto Us" from The Messiah (or as this group sings it: foruntouSSS a chald is bohorn), Bring A Torch, Jeanette, Isabella, Sanctus from Leonard Bernstein's Mass, and a horrible "gospelite" song that starts with a spoken word introduction that goes, roughly: "This is for that little boy who doesn't have a father, and all the people with AIDS...." Seriously. One of my fellow altos and I have been adding additional lines, like "and for that dog that got run over"
I got a little frustrated and totally took over directing the chorale during the Handel. I did hear some improvement from the men when it came to the rhythm of the "and the goverment..." section. I appreciate that our director allowed me to take the reins, she was frustrated herself, but I figure that when you have said the same thing 50 times, sometimes it helps to find another way to say it.
WEDNESDAY: Been listening to my HS CD....I love almost all the songs we're doing, but some of the bass lines will need to be spiced up, I think. My wonderful Mads teacher called for another rehearsal, so I picked Monkey up from school and she came with me. We made a lot of progress. We have two people in the group who don't have good tuning, that can't be helped at this point (it's supposed to be an audition only class, but they leave it open for people to apply...I hope they change that, because too much time is spent learning notes), but I think we won't embarrass our leader, either.
I'm giddy tonight because I don't have to work tomorrow or Friday! I'm kind of bummed, though, because we're supposed to get 6" of snow tomorrow.
Later in this singing week:
THURSDAY: Depending on the weather, I have rehearsal for my church gig, which is always slightly depressing.
FRIDAY: Sio comes home from school! And I have my school concert. Loki will come, because there is free food, put out by the culinary students. I don't know if he'll ever make it into the auditorium, but he'll be there.
P.S. The title of this post is a link to a piece of sheet music arranged by Sio's high school choral director. It's a beautiful a cappella piece, you can hear a sample performance at the link (the basses are a little too loud in the sample, but it gives you the general idea)
The lyrics are:
My life goes on in endless song
above earth's lamentations,
I hear the real, though far-off hymn
that hails a new creation.
Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear it's music ringing,
It sounds an echo in my soul.
How can I keep from singing?
While though the tempest loudly roars,
I hear the truth, it liveth.
And though the darkness 'round me close,
songs in the night it giveth.
No storm can shake my inmost calm,
while to that rock I'm clinging.
Since love is lord of heaven and earth
how can I keep from singing?
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