ooooo...lookie...Video!!

WWAY-TV3 (local ABC affiliate) did a news report on our show! (I'm the one in the puffy pants screaming for Madame Sylvia. ...i feel pretty, oh, so pretty.... )

Goin' South for the Summer

Well, really, I'm just going for a week. To Mississippi, or "Ipp-Iss-Issim," as my dad calls it. Tomorrow, stinkin' early in the morning, I'm flying to Atlanta to be picked up by my parents, and we're all driving the rest of the way to Mississippi to visit family for almost a whole week.
I'm really looking forward to seeing my grandparents and spending time with Mom and Dad. And, I'm told, we're to be staying at Canebreak, which is southern-speak for MyCousins'ReallyNiceSummerHouseInASuburbOnALake. You see how "Canebreak" is just much easier. AND, talk about bonuses, they have wireless internet!!
I haven't seen Grandad or Bobo in gosh, a year and a half? That's Too Long!! I lovethemlovethemlovethem. But it's not so easy for them to get to where I live, so I just have to take some time off every now and then to treck down south for a visit. So there will be visitin' with them and the cousins, shoppin', restin', eatin', and maybe even waterskiin' for me for the next several days. Please don't throw me in the briarpatch.

So that's what I'll be doing. I'll talk to y'all later.
see? i'm practicing already.

Godspeed, Flickr

The Flickr people have announced that they're making their big move from Canada to California. Culture shock, anyone?

So that's why pics all over the blogiverse have that little "x" on 'em. They'll be back. I just hope they don't go all Hollywood on us. Thanks, Flickr, for all you do.

freaky people

Last night I got this message on my cel phone:
"uhh, hey Epiphany. Yew put yerr message on my voice mail. Idn't that like, uh felony?" *click.*

...uhh, no, Bubba. It idn't. I'm not sure how it happened, but I'm pretty sure that:
a - I didn't do it, even by accident, (check your phone service?)
and b - even if I did, it wouldn't be a felony.

*sigh.*

cosmic joke

why, oh why is it, that I can flirt without actually flirting with the techsupport guy that lives in Wisconsin, but when it comes to someone cute sitting next to me at the bar, I become the most awkward geek girl there ever was??

Grumpy

You ever have one of those days where no one around you can possibly say anything that won't annoy the crap out of you? And then they realize you're grumpy and try to joke with you to cheer you up, but that just makes it worse? Well, that's me today. We've had customers come in, cheerful from the sunshine outside, making smalltalk, and it's been all I can do to just smile at them. I even feigned a phone call to keep from having to listen to one lady who felt it necessary to tell us everything about her, her husband, her daughter, and why they want tickets to the symphony. Understand: we get patrons in all the time that feel a need to fill any pause in the transaction with just a little too much personal information. This is common. But some days the chatter makes the day go by faster, and some days it just makes everything come to a screeching crawl until the patron leaves.

...sad thing is, I don't think it's PMS-related. I'm just a grumpy woman today. i hate that.

Lawd knows to my surprise...

Last night was Face-Your-Fears night at Martha's Karaoke Lounge, so that's where we went after the show. Technically, it was Karaoke Contest night, but since I'd been to about 5 karaoke nights since rehearsals began, and hadn't sung once, I decided that it was time to face my fears. After much dorky study and karaoke downloads at walmart.com ($0.88/song!!), I felt armed and ready. Well, to be honest, dorky study, karaoke downloads, and a $3 Margarita left me feeling armed and ready. I had my list of songs I thought I could do, and sat down with the book to select the perfect one.
The folks I went with are all Karaoke veterans, except for one, so they already knew exactly what songs to begin with. They filled out their forms quickly and got in the cue. The KJ (karaoke jockey) was announcing the contest, and that there was a limited time to sign up. I finally found a song I thought I could do, filled out my form, and with trembling limbs, headed up to put in my entry.
Before they got to my name, they began the contest, which meant there would be at least 6 more songs (there were 6 contestants) before they got to me. Add to that the random dance music that was played before and after the contest, the rest of the non-contest entries in line before me, and that meant I had about an hour before being called up to sing. Plenty of time to get petrified. Also plenty of time to finish my 'rita and order another. So by the time I got up there, I was good and warm.
And I gotta tell ya, "Son of a Preacher Man" never had a chance. I had expected to hear a lot of my voice, which would have made me feel shy about belting it, but I didn't. The music was loud enough, and my vocals at just the right levels so I could hear myself, but could never have overpowered the music. So belt I did. The song starts out small, but gains energy and momentum as you go, so I felt like I just had to keep going, keep pushing, to keep up with it. It was quite a rush! The bartender even came over to my table later and asked by why I hadn't entered the contest. **shock!! glee!!** We'll be going again next Thursday, I suspect.
On a side note, my friend Christy sang for the first time last night, and got so into it that she sang 3 times! Talk about facing the fears -- Way to go, C!! You rock! Woohooo!
Also, the first and second place winners in the contest were from our group. Gray at #2, and his lovely lady, Laura, at #1! Ahhhhh, Yeah!

Jammin' Thursday

I keep trying to work, but every time I consider starting one of the projects on my 'to do' list, the phone rings. We've gotten busier with sales for a concert on Saturday. So for the next hour, I'm giving up trying to start anything new. I'm just going to sit here, listen to my Yahoo Radio Station, update my blog, play some spider solitaire, and wait for the phone to ring. ...that oughta make it stop ringing, if anything will.

By the way, this album , is still one of my all-time faves. with eternal apologies to Vivi, who had to listen to it nonstop when we roomed together in college.

Holy new-favorite-movie, Batman!

Last night I went to see the midnight showing of Batman Begins (thanks, Michael).

It was Fantastic.

The supporting cast was superb - Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, and Linus Roache, especially. And Christian Bale, ...was perfect. 'Til now I only knew him as the kid that Kenneth Branagh carried on his back in the post-battle Agincourt scene in Henry V (I've seen him in other stuff, but nothing this front and center) - you may trust that I'll be seeing The Machinist and American Psycho as soon as is possible. I could go on and on, but I think one reason I enjoyed it so much was that I had no expectations for it going in. I had no idea what the story would be, who would be playing whom, etc. So I was able to just sit there and let them tell me the story. There are well-written user reviews and comments all over the web, so I'm not going to talk a lot about it here. But if you get the choice anytime soon to see Batman Begins, or any other movie, I recommend you see Batman. I'll be seeing it myself again soon, so if you want a movie buddy, gimme a call.

Something I'd forgotten

...that "in-between stage" of growing one's hair out, when it is too long for one style, but too short for another, when you can't decide between using barettes and hairbands or not? Flipping it up or under?
So what I've ended up with today is...interesting. I'm sure there are women who could wear this style well, and I am equally sure that I am not one of those women. Plus, this barrette's giving me a headache. whine, whine, gripe, moan,....mylifeissooohard.

Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson

Anne Bancroft

(born Anna Maria Louise Italiano)

1931 - 2005

Article - Filmography

ok, ya got me.

A friend of mine gave me this book, He's Just Not That Into You. I read it last night. Now let me say first, that I'm just not that into self-help books. I never read about Mars and Venus except in Astronomy class. I got a Deepak Chopra book from a yard sale, but never made it past the first chapter. Dr. Phil and I have never hung out. If I'm at a bookshop and find myself looking at books on a shelf that is near the self-help section, I make darn sure that it is perfectly clear that I'm not looking at the self-help books, I'm looking at biographies, thankyouverymuch, in case someone should come by and see me shopping there. So yes, I guess you could say I am a self-help snob. BUT. All I've got to say about this book is, Damn. I been a fool. Me and all my otherwise intelligent wimmen friends.
We spend all this time making excuses for why a guy does or doesn't do something, when the bottom line is, it doesn't matter why. If he's not doing the things that people do when they're in love (call you, do stuff for/with you, introduce you to his friends, take you out in public, treat you with dignity and respect, etc.etc.) then he's not in love. Period. Doesn't matter why. And by that same token, if you're not doing all the same stuff for him, you're not in love either. And neither of you should be doing these things because they're what you should do. You should be doing it because it's what you want to do. Neither person should settle for less.
And another thing, if you're doing the stuff you do when you're in love (all of the above plus: talk about the future, ask him what he's doing/wearing/eating while on the phone with him, wanting to introduce him to your friends and family) and he's just not into it, then he's not that into you, either. He just isn't.
I can't tell you how many excuses I've made for some of the men I've dated (He's really busy right now, he's just been through a bad breakup, his family life's not great so he'll feel weird around my great family, his last girlfriend was really jealous, blahblahblah). That's not to say that I've dated jerks. A couple of 'em, sure. But mostly, they were all good guys. However, if they were really into me, I wouldn't have had to make excuses for their behaviour. Aaaaand (this was not in the book, but being the fair and balanced gal that I like to think I am, I must conclude that...), if I were as into them as I should be, I wouldn't have tried to make excuses for my bahaviour (I'm really busy, I'm not ready for a big relationship, I can't get involved right now, blahblahblah). I would have simply behaved like a girl in love - the good, real love that isn't over-the-top, but is open-eyed, secure and, well, lovely.
If we would all quit making excuses, and start holding each other (and ourselves) to higher standards, then we'd all have a lot more satisfaction in our relationships.

...probably.

Good news and bad news

The good news, I got my picture in Encore, our local weekly entertainment guide. The bad news is, this is the picture.

So anyway, Two Gentlemen of Verona opens tonight at Greenfield Park Amphitheatre. Come see it! It's free, but donations are accepted. And the Best Part?? You can bring a picnic and wine and eat, drink, and watch Shakespeare!

...good times.

Vive la difference

Of course North Carolina and South Carolina are different. They are completely different. For example, there are towns named Beaufort in both of the Carolinas, but in SC it's pronounced Byew-fert, and in NC it's called Boh-fert. We're way more elegant here in the North.

This topic inspired by dooce.

insanity

...like an idiot, I keep checking my own blog to see if it's been updated since the last time I was here. ...I'm thinking what? That the Blog Elf came by and posted just so it wouldn't sit there unupdated for so long?