Birthday Felicitations

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM & DAD!!!!! :)

A BRIEF UPDATE

Hello Friends and Family! We are entering our mid-term rush here at AMDA. I had my Acting midterm already, all next week will be dance midterms, the following week will be very high stress because I'll have Musical Theatre and VPS- both classes I really want to excel in and am very nervous about.

The acting midterm went well. My scene partner and I did a scene from David Mamet's 'The Woods', for which we recieved the stellar grade of A. We were very happy with it and so was our instructor (who happens to be the head of the acting department.).

For Musical Theatre I'll be singing a very funny vamp-y number called "Paree", where I do a silly french accent. For VPS we all have to do the witch's thing from MacBeth "double double toil and trouble..."

I love you all, miss you all and long for home very very much. I miss my family, my friends, my flowers, my pets, my own shower and home-cooked meals. But time seems to be flying by at an astonishing rate. I hope I'll be able to stay on top of things. The heat here is opressive at best and absolutely draining most of the time. And NEW YORK CITY SMELLS VILE WHEN IT HEATS UP.

I'm happy to be busy, happy to be doing (cross your fingers and knock on wood-) well. My love and affection.

--- Oh yeah, Due to a snag with miscommunication I have no internet access in my room at the present, and so must make due with the school computers- much less convenient, much less comfrotable, and there are time limits! So, apologies, I'll do my best to pop in once in a while to keep you updated!!!---

Love Always,
BETH

Good to be Home.

Hello, and sorry for the little dry spell. Moved out of my room in NY a little while ago and am here in good old MA for a few short weeks before I need to head back; folks, let's just ponder the absurdity of necessitating my complete move-out from the Strat when in a few short weeks I'll be moving BACK IN to the EXACT SAME ROOM! I suppose they might do some maintenance, painting, cleaning and exterminating, but yikes! P.S. for any who may have wondered: I woke up at about 6 am that morning and had exactly six hours before the fam would arrive to load my life into the van, and had I started anything in advance? No siree- to know me is to love me (harharhar) and if you know me you might have guessed I would leave it till the last minute. Let me tell you I have never cleaned\packed\organized so furiously and so completely ever in my life! I was done at ten minutes to noon and quite exhausted. Turns out they hit traffic anyhow and I would've had some wiggle room, but it got done.

Now I'm in The City of Champions and loving it immeasurably. I'm sure this is due to the fact that I'm being terribly spoiled by my family and friends for the duration of my brief stay, but this has been a great vacation thus far. Dad and I have worked outside on various projects- including the erecting of a lovely copper birdbath in the front garden. Mum and I picked out some charming flora for the front as well, and I had a very enjoyable day planting and gardening. {We won't talk about the jungle of mint and wild violet in the back yard. Three weeks home isn't nearly time enough to fight that battle- the fence is beautiful though!}
I've played board games, seen movies, watched some red sox baseball, played with pretty and daubs and seen alot of friends who are home from college! I have not practised and prepared for second semester as well as I should, but there's another week left.
My pet project has been my fairy tale. Maybe I'll make big bucks and never have to worry again. As for small bucks, I'm subbing at North jr. high tomorrow and will see about a few more days while I'm around.

Talk with you soon,

Beth

1st Semester

I HAVE COMPLETED ALL MY DEMOS AT LONG LAST!

Thank you to all the loyal readers of this little blog. I feel honored and grateful toward all those who took time out to keep up with my excerpts. Today, thursday the 2nd of June marks my final day as a First Semester student at AMDA. It's all down hill from here! Hahaha. No, not downhill, though I'm told the effect feels alot like a mad snowball careening out of control down a steep hill. From here on out things will get very intense, very hectic and crowded.

Today was a relative breeze compared to the other demos too. Only sight singing (the hardest part of this one was the fact that it was at 8 am and I was so wound up yesterday after Dance demos that I stated up into the wee hours of the morning, garnering maybe a total of 3 hours sleep.) and then a Musical Theatre Film Lab Exam- my only written exam here. It was very cut and dry. very anti climactic. yesterday, Musical Theatre and 2nd Round Dance Demos was the biggie- the hurdle I was fretting over.
However, fret as I frequently do, the final decision is this: They both went very well. As a class the A1's really delivered in Musical Theatre and our teacher [the head of the department, coincidentally] had tears of pride (relief?) in her eyes as she bade us a fond farewell. We really stepped it up, and I am particularly proud of my group-mates. We have become very much like a family. I love them all and in a few short hours we're going out to dinner, to celebrate and to tear up over the loss of some of our friends who have decided not to return for second semester.

Still not packed. yipes. this is not going to be an easy chore. I smell disaster. BUT nothing can crush the elation inside of me that sings: I MADE IT!!!! believe it or not (and to my frank astonishment) I ACTUALLY MADE IT! I'm one quarter of the way through!

Love and Appreciation,
Signing off from NYC,

Beth

This is Katherine Helmond- You might remember her form SOAP or as Mona from Who's The Boss?, or recently as Debra's mother on Everybody Loves Raymond. She's done a great deal of stage work as well and some film too. Well, for reasons unbeknownst to me, Ms. Helmond showed up at my DANCE FINAL last week and stayed for a bit- watching my tap class and such. She must be friends with the head of the Dance Department- but I was so shocked that I refused to believe my eyes. Couldn't be. Why would Mona be here? So I just sort of smiled and tapped and didn't think much of it until some friends of mine confirmed the sighting as valid. Yikes. http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/PersonDetail/personid-5383 

ENJOY MIAMI"S SUNNY SEAQUARIUM. A photo journal exhibit by Beth and Aaron! (heeheehee)

Here's the only picture of me at the Seaquarium. We (complete geeks that we are) found the idea of taking my photo standing in front of a photo-booth to be utterly amusing in a mildly ironic sort of way. YIKES! Now that I'm out of the sun and reason has returned, I recognize the humor to be weak and sad, but you might as well enjoy the goofy look on my face!! 

I have loads of pictures from this great and entertaining SeaLion circus show, but as we were in the very tip-top of the nose-bleed section, I wont laden this blog down with too many. Here's the star of the show doing the quintessential showstopper. Quite talented, very delightful. Oh, and a personal note: The weather was maaaaaaaarvelous! 

Aaron said it best: "This looks like a put-on. It looks like a lawn ornament!" 

Look at the crazy flaming fight! They look like tropical dinosaurs. "No wonder these guys learned how to fly.." right Dad? 

In case you had a hard time viewing the animals through all the edible-litter, here's a shot taken from the under-level viewing area. hard to believe these beauties were ever mistaken for mermaids. But I suppose when you've been out at sea for long enough... 

Hey, here's the manatees- this old girl has plants growing on her. Not much of a rolling stone I guess. The flotsam and jetsam there on the water is lettuce, sweet potatoes, apples, and other varieties of produce- and It floats around to be munched! The effect was strongly reminiscent of a garbage disposal explosion and struck my funny bone. 

Heeheehee- these guys are adorably grumpy. 

national geographic style. These birds (I'll have to look him up, i've forgotten his name- soooo many new species and varieties to remember) would sit so still I firmly believed they were decorative props until he blinked at me. 

Look how close we could get to these magnificent beasts! Had he the inclination, thisone could have sprang forth and nipped Aaron's camera hand off! 

Beautiful shot of some rays. I heard of an INCIDENT with Aunt Carol on the trip- she'll have to tell me all about it later!  

Crocodiles and birds alike gather for the mid-afternoon feeding. Let me say this: Those birds didn't wait around for scraps, they fought teeth and beak for their share. Quite bold. 

More than the marine life, i was practically drooling over the exotic native birds that congregated at the seaquarium. Look at this thing! It's all well and good to see it on tv, but in reality it felt very dream like for me. 

Here are som cute sea lions in an up-close viewing pool. They are playful and puppy-like. 

The killer whale, and myself in the aft- marveling at the many complex variations nature has gifted us with... or maybe just psyched that I'm somewhere where the temperature is in the high 80's in mid-may! 

There's the Killer Whale as captured digitally by Aaron, with me across the way with a good old disposable and big gaudy sunglasses. 

Ahoy!

Welcoming the cruisers back to dry land- you landlubbers! No scurvy I hope? (heeheehee)
Hope the cruise experience was wonderful and glad you all had a vacation.

Well,I promised I would do it- and I really musn't put it off longer else I'll surely lose all my ambition to do so. Today, my last official day of classes for term one, is the day (night) I applaud and thank the New York Public Library System for exemplary standards of excellence in service and materials. Specifically The Performing Arts Library at Lincoln Center and the NYPL Riverside branch (a few doors down).

Let me preface this with a bit of background info: I know not by what power, but by some power it is, the AMDA library is actually one of the best and most extensive in the city- if not in the performing arts realm in general. It is so inclusive and detailed that the Juliard students tend to get haughty about us using 'their' facilities- which is the NYPL Performing Arts Library at Lincoln Center. Apparently over the years many people have donated scores and media items to little AMDA out of the kindness of their hearts, maybe from pity or some other such impetus, but like a clever spider the AMDA folk have been pleasantly cultivating a swelling horde of treasured and out of print material that will prove invaluable to my education. Here's the cute little snag: Due to renovations and a most timely decision to move the library facilities, the AMDA library had been closed for most of my crucial first semester here- and then for a few weeks was half-heartedly functioning like some sort of bizzarre musical drive thru, where in you would stroll up to a windowed ticket booth type service area, order the music (sheet, or cassette, script or score), pay a processing fee, and then return to the window in a few hours time (sometimes the next day) and pick up your materials.

No problem, you'd say nonchalantly. Au Contraire, mon frere! Though the library's grand opening was delayed well beyond it's target date of the First week of the Semester, our BIG, HUGE, VERY IMPORTANT musicals project *which required hours and hours of listening, reading and researching very obscure and lesser known musicals* was not at all deterred from the due date arbitrarily set probably a year or more ago when someone sat down to make a syllabus for First Semester students. What, then, were we to do?

As a matter of what I consider to be supreme luck and maybe a bit of grace, on my daily walk to school, in the blocks between 70th and 61st, lies a treasure trove of knowledge and blessed input! The Performing arts library at Lincoln Center is widely considered to be the best in the country- and how right they were! Shelves and Shelves of Musical scores (more opera and classical, but pleanty of Broadway to be getting on with), Volumes and volumes of important texts, interactive exhibits (currently a lovely pair on Donna Summer and the other Harold Arlen who composed the famous Somewhere Over the Rainbow from Wizard of OZ) rows and rows of CDs - which are available not as reference materials, but just like books in a regular library available for checking out at your convenience! This is also true of a whole large video\dvd section- free movie rentals! They have everything from obscure instructinal videos (Play the violin series volume 1) to taped performances of live ballet, opera, symphonic concerts and even some musical theatre, to regular old films like John Wayne in The Searchers or Tom hanks in the Terminal. Let me just say that I don't believe i'll ever go to blockbuster again while i reside here.

One particularly valuable feature is the exclusive and heavily monitered viewing library on the third floor. here you can listen to music that may not otherwise be available for checking out, but more importantly you are able to choose from a huge tome-like catalogue of live theatre\musical theatre\ opera\ dance performances recorded for posterity on film. There are many rules and regulations here, and the staff is reminiscent of a fierce priode of mother lions sheltering their young, but once you've gotten over this the resource is quite exciting. In a smallish room off the main floor you sit in very comfortable chairs and have your own monitor and earphones and computeized remote-control and can view some broadway show! Free! I, in my research, was able to see Ragtime with the original cast, and consider myself most fortunate to have done so, as I may never have given the musical a real chance- and was so very impressed with its scope and gravity, which the soundtrack itself really doesn't illustrate. I can see plays that are greatly impactful but are obviously not still up and running. One can examine the changing and evolving styles of american theatre over the span of seasons and decades!

What i've taken advantage of most, however, is the rental of cds and dvds. I now have half the library's broadway cd collection stored in my media library on the laptop, and i'm sure the other half will be entered next semester as we cover vaudville and operettas untill 1960!

But i am most excited about the classic films i've always wanted to see and have scarce been able to locate in your frindly neighborhood video store.
3 that stand out as "wow i'm gald I rented that (for free!)!" are the following: starring bette davis and henry fonda, JezebelThe Maltese Falcon starring Humphrey Bogart and Sydney Greenstreet and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie for which (Dame) Maggie Smith was awarded her oscar. Dad's been telling me for ages to see The Maltese Falcon if i ever got a chance- and let me tell you, I see why! What a fine film. I happen to love old movies, and appreciate them when alot of folks find them hard to 'get into'. I credit this to my parents and my brother all of whom had a great deal to do with shaping my cinematic taste-buds, but often it takes a certain disposition in this day in age- in this hustle-bustle action-and-specialeffects generation to actually sit down and glean enjoyment from films so stylized, so deliberately paced and so rudimentary in technique and technology. The Maltese Falcon (and another great piece, Some Like It Hot) is a film that needs no special taste for older films. This plot was exciting, rich, *mostly* unpredictable and dealt with subject matter just as prevalent today as it was in 1941. What an engaging movie- one that can be put on a FAVORITE MOVIES OF ALL TIME list and nor relegated to a favorite old movies list on a separate piece of paper.

I could bore you with full reviews here, but it's late (or early, depending on your point of view) so I'll restrain myself. Suffice it to say this: the NYPL is probably my best friend and most useful tool here in New York so far. Maybe Someday I'll be earning big bucks as a broadway actress and will finally be able to drop some cash in that Donations box I pass guiltily every week upon entering and exiting!!!!!

Love you all greatly- Be home soon,

Beth

A whole lotta trouble over a little idol... 

And a whole lot more trouble (not to mention angst) over the color of a dress! At least the Maltese Falcon appeals to greed and crime- this dress was just MUCH ADO ABOUT Very Little Actually. Nothing like a good case of Yellow Fever to put things in perspective though. 

"Little Girls! I am in my Prime!" . . . ASSASSIN! ASSASSIN!! 

Where the magic happens... Thank the fates for small miracles like taxes going toward something wonderful! 

I Have Returned!

GoodMorrow Friends and Neigbors,

Let me apologize in brief for the terrible dryspell here at the Blog. What with the Florida trip and finals fast approaching, things have been chaotic to say the very least, but not a day has gone by without my wishing I were posting. If only I could be a professional journaler!

Second on my ever-growing bullet list of items we need to discuss is my Sister's Wedding. I know alot of you were unable to attend, understandably, so let me fill you in (again, in brief. When pictures are available I swear I'll do a full-out report, pulling out the stops and giving you the best society column I can manage, but for now, I'll cut to the chase!). The flight down was lovely. After the 5 hour greyhound bus ride to and from Boston a couple of weeks back, this seemed like a jaunt on a commuter train (except for the pressure related ear-popping and the beverage cart)! I tell you, in all honesty that it felt as if I had just begun to settle in when the Captain announced we would be beginning our descent into the Ft. Lauderdale Area. It was somehwat late at night Friday when we arrived at the Miami Holiday Inn, and as chance would have it, Mum was in the Lobby to greet us! It seemed we were the last to arrive, as i couldn't leave until after my afternoon acting class, but I'm told Danny and Rachel WORKED on friday, thus they take the prize for last across the finish line.
Saturday morning dawned beautifully, and I finally got to see those palm trees I had glimpsed in the dark of Friday evening. What a fun and exotic location! It felt so very differsnt from all the places I've been, even L.A. and Virginia Beach, which are both warm\beachy climates. Some people had a view of the port from their windows and we could see thw HUGE Royal Carribbean Cruise Ship that we would all be boarding in a few short hours to attend the ceremony and reception.
Many members of the Fam had a scattered Breakfast Buffet at the Holiday Inn dining room, but not the Bride! She was having her Hair done in a very princess-ly fashion (again, you'll see pictures soon I hope.)and at 9:45 AM we all boarded a small fleet of shuttle vans and were taken to the Cruise Ship! After a seemingly interminable length of time spent standing around like so many herded cattle we finally. . . (skipping over some real tedium here) . . . boarded the ship.
What an exciting thing! It was like being in an indoor-city! Shops, restaurants, attractions! It was lovely. I'm told the boat boasts a mini=golf course, a cinema, bowling alleys, arcades, casinos, an Ice-skating rink and more than several swimming pools. What a luxury! I'm sure the fam is finding plenty of things to do out there on the open ocean!
The wedding took place in a fun lounge\banquet hall with big cushy couches and armcairs. Quite the most Comfortable wedding ceremony I've ever attended, and very well orchestrated too. Not a hitch, not a moment of stress (well, none that i could see, but then I wasn't a featured player :)). All the Wedding party (and guests too now that I think of it) Looked Very Lovely. -Possibly my favorite ensemble of the day was my cousin Sean's "Tux"- which was actually a t-shirt with a picture of a tuxedo torso printed on it- compete with a carnation boutineer!
Sharon was radiant, I shed a tear or two and then was wrangled into pictures and then (gulp) singing! I sang a wedding song by wedding singer Glenn Navis called Take My Hand. I probably should have taken my brother's advice and finished my drink before I got up there- it may have eased my nerves! But, The happy couple were pleased with it, and that's the important thing. I sincerely hope it was a gift they will hold in their hearts as I cherish the giving of it.
Then, in the very same room (very large mind you and multi-functional) the reception was held. The food spread was very impressive, and even with my picky tastes I found plenty to enjoy. I tell you, I even tried Salmon, which I have always wanted to sample, but have never been willing to shell out the money on something with such slim chances of being palatable. This salmon, however, was FREE! It was not bad folks. I'm not a seafood eater (much to the chagrin of my New-England blood), and while this was fishy, it was much more tasty than any other fish I've ever sampled- with the exception of Shark (which, whenever I eat it is always quite thoroughly covered in alot of teriaki sauce, so who really knows if shark is yummy?). Only one person could find nothing to eat, but pizza was ordered and all was well!
The whole affair was lovely, and my one wish is that more family could have had the chance to attend. All in all it was a rather small wedding- and I missed the Reardons! Then, those-who-were-not-sailing were asked to leave the boat and none have been heard from since!
I can't wait to hear about the rest of the adventure!

~~Well, Unfortunately, this post was not as brief as I had wanted and now I'm afraid i'll have to wrap it up! i have plenty of schoolwork to be getting on with here and with a sigh, I must say goodnight for now. Stay tuned for the next items on the agenda: Extolling the virtues of the New York Public Library System, and Miami's Sunny Seaquarium! ~~


Distractedly yours,
Beth!

Just a few short days till MIAMI!! Very exciting stuff. I won't even really get a chance to think about it though, since this week is so packed. Extra dance classes, extra speech classes, extra rehearsals and extra voice lessons all leading up to finals. i really don't even know if I'll be able to pack untill thirsday night! Tomorrow I have performance day in musical theatre for our second song (Since you stayed Here -from Brownstone) and then Wednesday {THE VERY NEXT DAY} We have performance day for our third song (Little Girls -from ANNIE) !!!! I am quite harried. [But smiling, don't worry!]

Then Miami

Then right bqack to work!! Haahaahaa. Then Finals... the Home- and while at home I plan to sub as much as possible for the little Brocktonians, as they are in school until the 30th of June because of Snowdays. I want to take it easy as much as I cane though too, because second semester I hear is grueling!!!

Well, love to All,

Beth

June 3rd

Hello everybody! I sincerely hope my little tutorial didn't do more harm than good and proved at least somewhat helpful. Upon re-reading I think maybe I over-complicated, but we'll see.

I am posting just a few words right now, as it is past my bed-time. The words are this: June Third. June 3rd, folks, is the last day of my first semester. As May third wanes rapidly into may 4th I have to tell you how very excited I am. My second song in musical theatre is coming along quite well (knock on wood) and upon the successful completion thereof I will get to start my third and FINAL song for the term. It will be Little Girls from ANNIE which was my last minute wild card choice that I didn't really think my teacher would consider! How fun!
In VPS we are all now working on shakespeare monologues for the final demos and mine is one of Goneril's speeches from King Lear. Very nasty lady is Goneril. Lots of meaty stuff to sink my teeth into. Now I have to re-read Lear though- a daunting task when I am already swamped. Even for one who enjoys Shakespeare as I do, it isn't like skimming through nursery rhymes or even a thick but contemporary work of literature. I have my work cut out for me- and that doesn't even begin to describ how meticulous I have to be with the diction, articulation, breathing and vocal projection with the piece- since this is my VOICE PRODUCTION and SPEECH class- so I can't just act up a storm and hope my intensity makes up for any technical fuzziness. No sir, this is what my friends and collegues call: A pain in the rear end!
hahahahaahahha heeheehee. Oh well, It's good for us. I should do fine.
The dance is driving me nuts (maybe more on that later- it deserves it's own entry) sight singing is ok and acting should go well. I love my scene partner. She and I went downtown to the east village yesterday to get a sense of the setting of our scene. We had fun even though it rained. ALL the food shops looked and smelled delectable and made me wish I had brought lunch money- but we'll go again and I VOW to sample the cuisine!
Allright, I'm overdue for my 40 winks as it is- but tomorrow's post will be about the Bootleg copy of WICKED I was just watching.

Goodnight everyone- have a pleasant day!!


Love and Well Wishes
Beth

Posting Comments

Hey Friends and Family!

What a goof I am! I am so sorry, but I didn'r realize how difficult the site can be to navigate for non-blog users. Some of you have expressed the desire to post comments from time to time, and have found it less than user-friendly. I agree, and so am here to give you the skinny! :)

OK. So you've read a blog entry that particularly interests you, or maybe you just want to let me know you were here- just scroll down to the end of that particular entry and you should see, in small text, these words in underlined script: 0 comments or maybe it says 1 comment or 2 comments etc, (depending on whether or not someone (usually Dad) has already left a comment), This is where we Begin. Click on that text.

Alright. If someone has already posted their response you will now get to read them here. Now after any posted words (or maybe there will be none so far) You will see the same font and underlined text reading: post a comment - Click that.

Now you will be directed to a page that doesn't really match my blogsite format and can look alarming, as if you've taken a misstep. But be assured- you have not and you are in the right place. The box on the Right is where you type any of your thoughts- and I don't think there's a space limit or anything. THIS IS WHERE LOTS OF PEOPLE GET MUDDLED: You probably don't have a BLOG IDENTITY or BLOG USERNAME- but that is totally OK. You DO NOT need to sign up for one in order to comment, you do not need any complications. All you have to do is post anonymously. (when you do thijs it might be nice, for my benefit, if you sign it or give me a little hint as to whom is writing heeheehee, sometimes I get a little confused.)

So at this point, after you've said your peace (piece?) there ought to be a button at the bottom that says Publish Anonymously or just plain Publish (dad will have to help me out here- since I'm a blog user it already know who I am and I don't get quite the same options as you will). Click that and your comments will be e-mailed to me and posted under Comments on the Blog! Voila! Sorry if that seems complicated- I wish I could just show you in person, that is always preferable to written directions. I mean, there are cooking instructions on a Pop-Tart wrapper but they just complicate the whole business!!!! If you are having any trouble PLEASE feel FREE to E-Mail me.

It really means alot that you all want to give me virtual good-will and cheer! But please, if it ends up frustrating you or becoming a hassle, I understand and don't feel badly about it. Just enjoy the site as I enjoy updating it for you!!

have a great day or night!!!!

Love Always,
Beth

A couple of weeks ago I was in Times Square. I must have one of those auras about me or something that makes people feel they can approach me. A complete stranger, middle-aged average guy came up to me and asked for a dollar to get on the subway. He already had one- he just needed the second- could I help him out? I said sure, and as I was rummaging for a dollar he made conversation by asking me where I was from. I replied Massachussetts- and fully expected to get into some minor discussion about the yankees and the Sox. Instead he said: "Alright man! Me Too! I'm headed back to Brockton!" I thought I had misheard. Surely he had said "Boston!" ?? Quickly I blurted: "Did you just say BROCKTON?" He looked mildly bemused for a minute and the affirmed that he had indeed said Brockton. "Get Out!" I declared. "I'm from Brockton!" I told him. he looked skeptical. "Oh Yeah?" he challenges, "You Know Marvin?" With a puzzled expression I answer: " You mean Marvelous Marvin Haggler?"
"Oh, you do know.. And How about Rocky?" -- "Rocky Marciano? Of course I DO!! I'm from Brockton! Who DOESN'T know the Famous Brockton Boxers?!?!?!?!" Well, we shared a laugh. I had passed his little test and there we were- two Brocktonians that met by chance in the middle of one of the biggest cities in the entire world. What do you make of that?

City Of Champions

Well I spent a lovely- if far too brief - weekend in Brockton Massachussetts, Shoe City, City of Champions! Mum and Dad put me up for the two nights and it was lovely to be home. While in the area i made sure to partake of two Brockton Staples: Cape Cod Cafe Pizza and various dishes from The Italian Kitchen. After that I had planned on Christo's (the finest restaurant in Brockton proper), but was so thoroughly full and well fed that I had not the room for even the smallest of Mr. Christo's World Famous Greek Salads!!!!

The Bus ride TO Boston- a rush hour greayhound from Port Authority to South Station was MISERABLE. Even though all I had to do was sit for 5 hours I felt exhausted after the journey. It was crowded and smelly and loud and very jostle-y, and I really don't feel incredibly comfortable being in such close proximity to strangers. It would have been easier if I were traveling with a friend- that way I could relax a bit, not worry overmuch if my leg should brush theirs or if, while nodding off, my shoulder or head leans their way. Not the case however. Personal Space was a big issue and I swear the gentleman sitting next to me has spiked his soda cup with vodka- the smell was potent whenever i got a whiff. All I could really do was listen to some cds and look out the window.

The Return Trip, on the other hand, was FANTASTIC! There were but a handful of us traveling on the 7:00 express back to NY , so we could all luxuriate with two seats (or more0 to ourselves. This bus was a peter pan and very comfortable. The seats were larger, the upholstry cleaner and all the accoutrements much nicer over all. There were also TV screens and the bus driver played a movie for those who cared to watch. Absolute Power with Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman. I had homework to do however so no film viewing for Moi!!! It was great to have plenty of leg and elbow room to do my work. It all got done in no time and I relaxed for the remainder of the journey. If the trip to boston could only be like that i might go home more frequently. but i'm told the time of day that i would be traveling (friday afternoons after my classed conclude) is always quite a circus.

Seeing My family- visiting and chatting, was such a wonderful restorative. Also, seeing Pretty and Daubs (and the kittens pictured in last weeks post) was so ebjoyable. Dad and i watched the Red Sox Ring Ceremony and had Brownies; Nothing like that here in NY!!!! Mum and i went out to breakfast and Shopping!!!! What a lovely Visit. Thank you everyone who made it possible and wonderful. I only regret that the time was not longer- i would have liked to see more friends and family.

Now I'm back and there are only about 5 weeks left in the term- If this isn't crunch time, then I don't know what is!!!! Lots to do today (and this is supposed to be my light day)- Have a great day yourselves!! Love and Hugs,

Beth!

A Long Week in New York

Greetings from late thursday night! I am one exhausted puppy. Tonight I went to see some 4th semester showcases- and was very pleased and uplifted by them. I think I was starting to forget what all this training was adding up to. It has started to feel like drudgerey and minutia to no discernible end- but these showcases- where the folks who have put their time and effort in finally get to put it all together in a musical revue and agents and casting directors come and scout- reminded me of the joy and delight in performing. Great ensemble work throughout with a few absolute standouts- people about whom you could say without a doubt: They will be working RIGHT after they are done here. The stories (throughlines) are slim and artificial ala Act One Scene One, but the numbers were great fun and you could see how much time and effort went into these pieces- and I got to see it all for free!!! I got a big kick out of the fact that two of the numbers used were The world must be bigger than an avenue' from IRENE and 'It's Today' from MAME. Made me miss Derhead a little bit :( :)

This week has given me the blues, but the weekend should be relaxing and should charge my batteries. Aaron sent me some pictures of TheChief and TheCaptain, our twin cats, to cheer me up. I'll post a few so everyone can see how neat they are. Notice the identical swirl pattern on the boys- but their very different colored fur. TheChief is a big goober and follows Aaron around like a puppy and behaves much more like a canine than a feline. TheCaptain is the essential cool-cat. He is not quite as spastic and playful as his brother but still enjoys a good romp and chase and cuddles&sleeps as if her were the dictionary definition of Kitten.

I miss Daubs and Pretty. Maybe I'll get pictures of them next?!

As Always, Love
BETH

Here are the two of them together. Look at their neat swirls. This picture doesn't really do the effect justice, but I'll get some other ones up someday that demonstrates just how fascinating it is to look at them end to end. The Captain is the Salt'n'Pepper one and The Chief is the Orange fella. Hi hair is usually tousled and sticking up in 20 different directions- and his brother gromes it down for him! 

The Chief. He LOVES getting dirty in any possible way. Once Aaron was doing an art project and Chiefie managed to get Plaster of Paris ALL OVER himself, then he rolled around like thus and got sand and dirt and leaves stuck to himself as well. Did he mind? On the contrary- he loved it. Until we had to put him in the tub, that is!! 

Tha captain being a sleek huntsman...