My People-Bruce, Blake, Nick, Norah.

I'm going on Saturday! Can't wait. It's going to be sick. I always told myself that if I got to see Springsteen once, I'd be happy. But then I saw him, and I knew I had to see him again. He's like a drug. A good one, though, without any harmful side effects. Except maybe lack of concentration.

Also, I need this shirt...

In case you can't see, it says "my machine she's a dud, I'm stuck in the mud somewhere in the swamps of Jersey" from Rosalita. I've always thought of being broken down and stranded in Weehawken/Hoboken/Jersey City when I hear this line. I can't believe they actually made it into a shirt. I think everyone at school will find it amusing. When I have money, this is one of the first things I'm getting. I'm also going to get this one...

I'll probably order that one at some point. I'd get it on Saturday, but right now I think I need to save money for New York. Alcohol is expensive ;-)They'll keep it on the website forever. I bought the Foxboro shirt from the 2003 tour in 2006, so I probably have some time. And this one is so much better than the other Gillette one I have. I mean, a roller coaster? What the eff does that have to do with Bruce or E Street or the Rising. I mean, the Magic cover art that's on my Buffalo shirt makes sense. The Three of Swords represents betrayal, and the whole album is about the perceived "betrayal" of the Bush Administration. I put that in quotes because I don't really agree with a lot of what Bruce is saying in the album, but my god, the music is wonderful. And I agree with some of it. I mean, we probably all know that I'm not a neo-con, and am mostly against the PATRIOT Act, because the libertarian in me believes in civil rights, so I hear lines like "my ship liberty sailed away on a bloody red horizon" in "Livin' In The Future", and agree, but then I hear a song like "Magic", and while it's a great song, I don't believe a word of what he says in it. Alright, end of rant. Three more Springsteen shirts and I'll have one for every day of the school week.

So anyway, I'll be sure to be here with youtube links, pictures, and the setlist from Saturday. Shallon is officially my hero.

Oh, also, in traditional fashion...

Blake Bashoff (not my Blake) is leaving Spring Awakening on Saturday to do the tour. I absolutely adored Blake's Moritz both times I've seen the show. His acting and voice are spectacular, and his facial expressions really make the show what it is, and I will miss him. I hope he enjoys touring with the show. Also, Blake has always been such a sweetheart at the stage door, especially when he didn't laugh at me for trying to take a picture of him and Jamie with the lens cap closed. So Blake, I know you probably think I'm an idiot, but thank you for not making me feel like one. It's appreciated.

Also, the trailer for Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist is up. First of all, I want to say that this is my absolute favorite book ever. I've read it probably 11 times in 6 months. I have high hopes for the movie, even though it looks entirely different. I love Michael Cera, I love Kat Dennings (they're both perfect for their characters), AND Jonathan B. Wright, from Spring Awakening, is in it. He's the blonde in the trailer who smashes his face. JBW was never my favorite cast member or anything, but I enjoyed his performance in the show and can't wait to see his film debut. Also, IS THAT THE BOWERY BALLROOM I SEE IN THIS????? Only my favorite concert venue ever. So anyway, the movie will be out October 3rd, and you better believe that on October 3rd, Kayleigh, Jamie, and I will be at the mall watching it. Seriously, check it out. This book changed my life. I've read it so many times that I feel like I'm friends with these people. Or would like to be. I've always related to Norah (and Nick too, to some extent) and Nick is basically the epitome of my perfect guy. Although he should probably be a little more into theater, and he needs to listen to Springsteen. But he's got everything else.

Here it is...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MduLTMsUMg

I love polar bears, but...

ANWR is a HUGE (19.6 million acres) part of Alaska in the Northeast corner, south of the North Pole and North of the Arctic Circle.





ANWR makes up only a small portion of Alaska, but is larger than 1o US states.





The 10-02 area, or the area that is reserved for oil drilling, is located on a coastal plain that is completely barren. Nine months out of twelve, this area is completely covered in snow and ice, and is essentially void of life. No polar bears, no moose, no caribou. For three months, this area, which is only 1.5 million acres out of the 19.6 million (8%), is in total darkness. In the summer, the area is essentially under a bog and a great deal of lakes. The area that is ALREADY approved for drilling (section 10-02 of ANILCA) is roughly the size of Delaware. However, Congress has limited further development to roughly 2000 acres. That is less than .05% of ANWR's total land.

ANWR (Coastal Plain) in summer.

ANWR (Coastal Plain) in winter.

I love animals (unless I have to take care of them), and would hate to see any of them disturbed by oil drilling. But in this case, it won't be a problem. Even the Alaskans who live there support drilling.

There is a 95% chance that a "superfield" (500 million barrels or more) would be discovered in this region, and it is the nation's best and most abundant area for onshore drilling.

Do I think this is a long term solution to America's dependency on oil? Absolutely not. I think this would be a great short-term solution while scientists work on developing cheap, readily available, and environmentally friendly energy sources. Furthermore, it would add between 250,00-735,000 jobs, which would be fantastic what with the sluggish economy, reduce our dependency on foreign oil from countries that honestly don't like us, and SIGNIFICANTLY lower oil prices, giving everyone (particularly the middle class) more disposable income to put into the economy. Previous oil development in this region has brought in at least $50 billion, having a positive impact on the economy of each state. To me, it seems so completely ridiculous to have such a dependency on foreign oil that Iran so much as gives us a dirty look, and prices jump $0.45 per gallon, when we have MASSIVE amounts of untapped oil on the coastal plain of ANWR. Right now, the US is paying $330 billion in oil imports, which is the equivalent of $37.75 per hour. And people wonder why the economy is bad.

AND...

77% OF VOTERS FAVOR DOMESTIC DRILLING. And yet the Democratic Congress is consistently blocking any effort that is made. To me, it doesn't sound like they are looking out

for their constituents' best interests. At all. And that is the job they were elected to do.

Happy Election Year.

And one final thought...

So cute!

Woo-Hoo

I HAVE STAGE SEATS NEXT TO BLAKE ON THE 13TH!

I have BB12 and BB14

That's all.

Say whaaaaaaaa???

Tracie Thoms to Join Broadway's Rent on July 26

Tracie Thoms will join the cast of Broadway's Rent as Joanne Jefferson on July 26, and will continue with the show through its closing performance on Sunday, September 7.
Thoms played the role of Joanne in Chris Columbus' film version of the musical and co-stars on the CBS-TV series Cold Case. She most recently appeared on stage in And Her Hair Went With Her at the Fountain Theatre in Los Angeles.

Written by Jonathan Larson, Rent won four Tony Awards in 1996, including Best Musical, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

I NEED to see RENT one more time before it closes. There are tickets to the matinee on the second to last day. I hope those stay on sale until we get to school so we can go. Especially since prices dropped.

Spring Awakening, and how my life is right now

Remy (the little one), Lilli (braids), Brian (third in from left), Skylar (glasses), and Phoebe (pink) all left on Saturday night. So that means the entire original cast (save Gerard, the ensemble member who is being bumped to a lead on Aug. 2nd...good thing, he's awesome) is gone. Very sad for me. But I'm looking forward to seeing what other people can bring to the role, and I'm thankful I got to see all but three of them in their roles.

I'll miss Phoebe (pink) and Skylar (glasses) the most . Skylar's Touch Me solo was just absolutely beautiful, and he always seemed to be having a blast on stage. I'm looking forward to seeing them in Hamlet 2 in August (yay movie careers!), and I'm looking forward to seeing Jon Groff (left in May) in Hair, and Jonathan Wright (left in April) in Nick and Norah. And you can better believe Kayleigh and I will be driving to the city in October to see John Gallagher's new play. Anyway, I hope Remy and Lilli absolutely love college, and that Brian is successful in whatever he chooses to pursue.

Skylar

Anyway, since there will only be 3 of the same people when I see the show in August (another one of my boys is leaving on the 2nd to do the tour :-( ), I'm looking forward to seeing what these new people bring to the show, and I'm sure I won't be disappointed. I'm so happy that Blake D. isn't leaving for, well, I don't know how long, but I'll get to see him at least one more time, and depending on when his last show is (please don't leave for a long time), I'll probably try to either rush it or get stage seats for that night.

SUMMER GOALS (AND FEELINGS)

My diet's going really well. I just wanted to through that out there. Out of every "diet" I've tried, I've done the best with this one, and I hope I have the strength to actually finish it and get to a healthy weight. At this point, yeah, I care about looking better, but I care more about being healthy.

I cleaned my closet. It was very exciting, except for when I cut my toe on broken glass. That hurt, and I bled everywhere. Anyway, next I have to do under my bed, and then my room is DONE. I can't wait. It will make me feel even more ready to move out of there. If I go through things now when I have the time, it will be so much easier to move to the city next June, because all I will have to do is put my things into the moving van. My dishes, some of my books, my pictures, all that stuff...already packed up. I hardly have any clothes there anymore, just some spare tee shirts, sweatshirts, pj pants, and underwear (and my winter jackets and vest), in case I forget something. It's so much easier to through things from my childhood away now that I'm so much older. I used to do stupid shit like hang on to candles and whatnot even when they were pretty much gone, but now I can just through them away. Or I can think "even though these were my favorite shoes when I was 12, I should send them to Goodwill because a) they're out of style, b) I'll never wear them again, and c) they're in good shape. Someone can get use out of them. Or I can see a sweatshirt that Nanny let me wear once, and through it in the Goodwill bag because it's not something I would ever wear, she hardly ever wore it, and it's not going to bring her back. That being said, I still can't bear to get rid of her bathrobe or this pink zip up sweatshirt that was Mom's. They're both nice to wrap up in when I'm feeling down, and as unbelievable as this is going to sound, Nanny's bathrobe still smells like her. And I'd put money on that fact that she still has tissues in the pockets :-) But anyway, I'm glad I'm not such a sentimentalist packrat anymore. It's excusible once in awhile, but there's really no need to load my closet up with things that I'm never going to touch again. I also tore down all of my Orlando Bloom posters, and put up posters that I can identify with more. I have Springsteen (duh), the Brooklyn Bridge (duh), the Dylan poster that Ryan got me like 10 years ago, Floyd lyrics on the Berlin Wall, and a 1940's couple at Grand Central. I finally threw away the flowers that Danny got me for graduation too. Hanging on to them isn't going to change the relationship that almost was, and when I see them, I just get filled with that regret that still lingers sometimes, especially when I'm in Enfield. Hence why I try not to drive by MVRHS anymore.

Anyway, I'm ready for my New York trip (thanks Keena). I absolutely love my family, but I need a change of pace. Summer is kind of dragging, and I'm looking forward to going to school so I can really use my brain again. I like thinking. I like being in an academic environment. I like having my friends around. I wish I had friends in Nottingham. Not that I don't love hanging out with you and Jeff everynight, Keena, because I totally do, but I miss doing things with people my age. I need to see my friends from Mascoma more, but when I'm in Enfield, I'm just so tired and focused on seeing Dad and Grandpa that it slips my mind. This is going to sound ridiculous because we all now the circumstances, but I feel bad just completely bailing on Dad when I'm in Enfield. We all know how he is, that he doesn't come out of his room, yada yada, but at least when I'm there, he can't say I'm never there. Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm lonely.

GUILTY PLEASURES

I hate to say this, but I've gotten completely addicted to the Search For Elle Woods on MTV. We all know how I feel about Legally Blonde the musical (completely ruining broadway, trashy, etc), but there is literally NOTHING else on during that time slot, and that's the time when I'm in my room reading, so what else can I do? I happened to watch it once, and well, now I have to see who wins. The finale is on tonight. I am pulling for Bailey. I liked Natalie, since she was clearly the most talented but "o hai, let's discriminate since you have brown hair and brown eyes". Geez-sus.

And by the way, PROJECT RUNWAY SEASON 5 FTW! I mean, no one can be as hot or cool as Jeffrey Sebelia from Season 3, but this group of designers as a whole seems awesome. There was one creeper that I was worried about, but he got eliminated right off. Right now, I like Kelli, but there's only been one episode. Can't freaking wait for Wednesday. PR is my favorite show everrrr. I wish it wasn't moving to Lifetime next season. I love Bravo. I don't want PR to move to a crappy channel, and a crappy city (LA). I prefer my artsy channel, and I prefer New York.

LIFE AS A STAY AT HOME AUNT

Today Matthew goes "Heathy, you're a good aunt. But sometimes, you're a bad aunt." Haha, silly boy. If I'm a bad aunt, I will literally eat my hand. Or something. I love that kid. He makes me laugh. Today I tried to trick him into cleaning up his blocks by sending them down the treadmill into the box. It totally worked, but then he goes "let's play that again!" and dumps them all out. Oh well, I tried. But anyway, I've gotten really good at playing games like "animals", "exercises", let's use the lion bubble blower...Heathy, you could help me?", "nap", "drive through", "go somewhere in Heathy's car", "otay, come get me" and "throw the ball to me in the swingset...otay, now I'll throw it to you", as well as the standard blocks, cars, board games, hide and seek, etc. Honestly, I love playing with that kid. He's so much fun. I'm sad it's supposed to be a shitty week. I love playing outside with him.

I love his brother too. I just want to say that Luke is a) one of the (two) most beautiful babies I have ever seen in my life, and b)has the most gorgeous blue eyes. It's nice having a baby that I can hold without him saying "PUT ME DOWN!", and I love watching Matthew with him. I'm sad that I'll be missing so much when I'm at school, but by now I'm used to it.

POWER OUTAGES

We lost power for about 2 hours on Friday night. Ironically, I was in the middle of my first serious GRE study session. I guess that's what I get for trying to be productive. But, I got a flashlight, and I learned the top 12 most common GRE words. Boy, do I have them down.

Shit, I told myself I was going to study every night from 9-10. It's 9:30. Oh well. I'll study during the Legally Blonde finale, when I watch BAILEY win.

After I studied for the test of doom and despair and ruined NYU/Columbia chances, I was bored, and I (for once in my life) didn't feel like reading. So I sat down with a notebook, and began writing a narrative about my relationship with...Bruce Springsteen. The first couple times I heard him, what his lyrics mean to me, how he's impacted my life, how my love of his music as evolved through the years, etc. I'm not done, but it's actually turning out to be one of the best things I've ever written. When I'm done, I will put it on here. Maybe. Maybe not. I dunno. Maybe I'll put an edited version up. It might get personal. But, I am very proud of it.

So, I guess I'm off. I have a small headache, and I want to go study. It's the "Top 20 next most common words" tonight. I may blow it off and just relax though.

LOL, Jesse Malin is online. Great minds...

My Boys

I absolutely love my new nephew! Let's take a look at how cute Luke is.


I've also had a great summer playing with Matthew.

Painting a picture for his new baby brother.
"Hide" and seek

What a goon!!!

Me and my "super big" buddy!

My boys together.

4th of July, (not) Asbury Park

"Sandy, the fireworks are hailing over Little Eden tonight, forcing the light into all those stoned-out faces left stranded on this 4th of July..."


Because I love the song so much, just wanted to give a little memorial type shout out to Danny Federici and Madam Marie, two crucial elements of that song that have died recently, Federici in April and Madam Marie a few days ago.

This one was always a favorite (the above picture)

My "holiday" weekend was good. I did a lot of playing with Matthew, which is always fun. We went over to Maine on Saturday so we could get the house clean, and I played outside with Matty. We only made the COOLEST "super-big" pile EVER, in the history of Wells Beach. It had a moat, a wall, a road, and another wall made out of rocks. So freaking sweet.

Baby tomorrow! I can't believe it. So exciting.