The Dark Side of Scrapbooking...

I am working on an "explosion" book to take with me to New York (which I should be working on now, since I leave in 3 more days!!) to have the Sweeney Todd cast sign afterwards (I will look around for a link to these things, so y'all know what I am talking about. Hard to describe, but here's a hint - they don't really explode). I love making cards and scrapbooks, etc, and since I have been doing it, a whole new industry has cropped up. I worked (still work? can't stay away?) at a scrapbook store - an entire store filled with paper, stickers, ribbon (ooh!) and other various assorted shiny, sparkly and fun items that you can use to document your memories. It is a store popular with suburban soccer moms, who feel the need to photograph every waking moment of their children's lives, and spend the rest of their time (and their money - must be nice!) in the store, busily scrapping their magical memories. Oye. Don't even get me started. I could go on forever about that store, but that's another post.

The point (and I do have one!) is my explosion book, for which I have gathered lots of cutesy embellishments.... the book has a Sweeney Todd theme, which, I am sure was not what the folks at EK Success had in mind for their little set of Jolee's By You called "My First Haircut." But boy, did that barber chair come in handy!!!! The covers are harley davidson paper, kind of metalic looking, and textured. I am also using lots of EK Success stuff.... little pies and muffins (try a little priest!), an apron, some stickers (beer. cause, you know, it's all so clear, that everybody....) and other stuff.... it's gonna be great, especially if I can get some of the cast to sign it. I wonder if the folks at Creating Keepsakes would publish it???

Where a Kid (At Heart) Can Be a Kid!

Ever wanted to go to Chuck E Cheese and play all the games, but you'd feel weird cuz you're 27 and you have no children??? Or considered asking the boss if you can borrow her children for the day just so you can go there and play skee-ball? Over the weekend, I went to Dave & Buster's, a place with games galore - like Chuck E Cheese, but better food, and booze! Who says that we can't play, too?? We went all the way out to Addison (I didn't even know that's where we were until today when I checked the D&B website. I don't know much about the mysterious and elusive "Western Suburbs.") We had dinner - much much better food than bad cheese pizza and no one in scary mouse costumes - and dessert (warm donut holes with chocolate and raspberry sauces for dipping. Hello? Delicious!). We sang happy birthday to Jane as loudly as we possibly could (birthday embarassment in a public place is ALWAYS good!) and then... to the games!

They had every game a person could think of. The beloved skee-ball, animal cranes, ms. pacman, like every single arcade all rolled into one. Winning a game resulted in tickets issuing forth from the machine. These tickets could be be redeemed for prizes, just like at Chuck E Cheeses. There were 7 of us, which greatly increased our odds of winning team games, and we pooled all of our tickets together. I never got a final count, but we ended up with several little buckets crammed with tickets. I bet we could have gone into the prize shop, pointed vaguely and said "yes." We had that many.

My particular specialty was with the games that required no special skill. I played several where all I did was put tokens into the slot and watch as something happened in the machine, wheels spun, lights flashed, sound effects sounded, etc, and when it was all done doing its thing, tickets started spewing out of the machine. Hello. I found my game!

Anyway, it was fun. Just like the carnival games, except without the sweltering heat and the creepy carnies skanking around leering at you. Only one thing was missing - D&B needs an adult sized ball pit! Then the regression to childhood will be complete. I would definitely go back to Addison (with a map quest!) for that.

The Case of the Missing Zombie Stripper

Before I forget - I want to mention a play I saw last weekend - I have been carrying the program around in my purse for a whole week to remind myself to write about it. In my endeavor to carry around less baggage (oh, let's leave that one alone for now), here goes.

The staged reading of "The Adventures of Mac Martinez: The Case of the Missing Zombie Stripper" was a benefit for the Disability Pride Parade, which my friend Jane is working with. It was at Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago, and it was the first time I'd visited their space. Got to oggle their Tony though, which was a particular highlight of the evening for me.

Let's get on with the show... I am not going to go through the plot of "The Case of the Missing Zombie Stripper" - just take my word on this one. The play was not really the point of the evening. The point was to raise awareness for the parade, and serve as a fundraiser. The actors did a great job with the reading. They were funny, dramatic, and looked like they were having a great time. It was really evident the dedication of the volunteers who arranged the parade, and of everyone who participated in the evening. It was fun to be part of the evening and get to be part of this caring group for just a couple of hours.

The Disability Pride Parade will be in Chicago on July 22nd at 11:00 am. Check out their website http://www.disabilityprideparade.com

On the Road (Again!)

Well, the Edge (in Honda Civic form) has gone to the Big Junk Yard in the Sky. Long and annoying story there, but in the end, we decided it was not worth it to have the car fixed, and took the money from the insurance company to put towards a new car. I never got to say goodbye to my baby, but at least we got the posters out of the trunk. They were in there for about 3 years, and the tradition will need to continue.

I was doing some research, looking online, etc etc etc, being very diligent about what kind of car would be my next one. I thought another Honda, since, as my mom pointed out, the Edge "saved your little butt." And they are rated very well. I returned my rental car, the red PT Cruiser, otherwise known as RENO (not after Janet, okay?? After Reno Sweeney in the show "Anything Goes.") on Friday. With my parents help, the process of finding another car was going to be very thoughtful, checking the bluebook, going online and so on... So when my parents suggested we go and look at some cars this afternoon, I didn't really think I would end up bringing a car home today. But, in fact, I did.

It is another silver Civic, 2005, a few thousand miles, but very very very smooth. Essentially, it is a newer version of The Edge. It looks pretty much the same outside, and exactly the same inside. I wrote the check myself (biggest check I've ever written!) and took it home. So I am taking my show back on the road. Everyone please stop at your red lights, okay???

Naming opportunities for my new Civic are available. Maybe I will have a contest.

9 Days (and Counting)

All this car stuff is giving me a headache. But it.doesn't.matter, because in 9 days (not that I am keeping track) , I will be here: http://www.sweeneytoddonbroadway.com

Learning to Blog

Gosh, this is fun. It is almost sad how long it took me to figure out how to set this whole thing up. And trying to upload that danged picture of The Edge took me too many tries. Still.

The Edge Took A Bullet for Me...

No, no, no, not HIM. The Edge of whom I speak is (was?) my darling little honda civic, which got t-boned in a really scary incident a few weeks ago. I am not gonna talk details, but it was really scary and I am still terrified to drive. Luckily, the car took most of the impact (so hooray for safe Hondas!!) and I essentially walked away (well, okay, eventually. I went to the hospital to get checked out, but no broken bones or internal damage).

I heard that the car can be fixed, so The Edge might live to drive another day....