JCS at Stratford

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Jesus Christ Superstar Cast

On Thursday, Trevor and I went to see Jesus Christ Superstar at the Stratford Festival. I got the tickets because I’d been hearing really good things about the show and the cast- I’m not a fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber or of the show itself.

However, I enjoyed myself, which was good! Josh Young, who played Judas, gave a really spectacular performance. I can’t say I was overly wowed by Paul Nolan’s Jesus, but that may be just as much a product of the role as anything. Brent Carver’s Pilate was really memorable, as well as Aaron Walpole as Annas and Bruce Dow’s Herod.

The set design is really well done- There are catwalks around the stage, about 8 feet up or so, and these two metal stair units on casters that are reconfigured like crazy to set various scenes. The only thing I found a bit lacking was the ramp that was brought out in the second act for Jesus to walk up and basically stand over the audience- I didn’t feel it really added anything, and I kept expecting Jesus to actually go somewhere instead of just kinda hang out and hover on the end of it.

The lighting design was pretty phenomenal. The lightbar around the catwalks that gave context through text or designs or what have you was really cool, and the projections on the slotted wall bit that flew in and out were really cool. The colors (and sometimes lack of) in the lighting really worked well with the setting and the costumes- sometimes it felt like Mary Magdelene and Judas were the only color on the stage.

Even with all those good things going for the production, it still didn’t bring me around on the show itself- it still has all those things I don’t like, but in this case, a lot of good stuff still kept me really interested all the way through.

Travel

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Philadelphia
So Trevor and I booked some time off, and had been trying to figure out where to go for a vacation that wouldn’t be too difficult to get to or get back from (so driveable or within a short flight distance) and that we wanted to go to. Turns out we’ve been to a lot of the areas that meet those qualifications. We were thinking about heading back to NYC or Montreal (which we’ve been to before, but are big enough to have plenty of things left we haven’t done). We were just on the brink of deciding on NYC, when we started looking at Philadelphia (which we’ve been through, but never properly visited). So we’re going to Philadelphia!

There’s lots of neat things there, like a big aquarium, and if we do decide we want to take a day trip to NYC or DC, either one is just a train ride away. We’re staying in a suburban hotel that’s not too far from a subway station, and we’re staying there the whole trip, which is unusual for us- we usually spend 3 or 4 days in a city and then go somewhere else, when we’re on a vacation.

So watch out, Preggonaut is attacking Philadelphia at the end of the month. 🙂

Preggonaut

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Yesterday, I was walking a few blocks to meet Trevor for lunch, and he asked me “You going to take out any bus shelters on the way?” and I said, “Preggonaut is not concerned with collateral damage.” Which, when I’m on the way to food, is probably kind of true. Haha. 🙂

Ever since creating my alter-ego, Preggonaut, I have had this visual in my head of what Preggonaut looks like crushing cities. So I drew it.

preggonaut

I am no great artist, but you probably get the idea, haha. Also, there is a foghorn noise that I have mentioned. It sounds like this: Foghorn.

Summertime

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It has been a while since I wrote a post here, there is a lot to catch up on! It’s full on summer now. The weather has been hot, dry and sunny for a bit, which is nice, but we could use a good few storms to catch up on our rain.

My last post here was a few months ago, so the biggest new development isn’t reflected here yet- I’m pregnant! I’m about 14 and a half weeks along now. The first trimester was okay to me- a little rough at times, lots of nausea but I never threw up. I feel pretty good nowadays, but I’m still pretty tired here and there. Things seem to be going well- I’ve had a few ultrasounds, and have gotten to hear the baby’s heartbeat and things. I have a hard time sleeping at night, but overall, things aren’t too bad.

I’ve been enjoying an increase in free time- I’ve been paring down my volunteer activities, and it’s been great to get more time to myself again. I’ve cut back on theatre, and I’m not sitting on the board of KWLT anymore, which frees up some time, and I’m not singing with the Phil next year, so that frees up some time as well. Work is busy, but I hardly notice because I get to go home in the evenings, heh.

Having more free time also means I can devote some time to those around-the-house projects that have been backburnered for a long time. We got the walkway weeded over the weekend, did some cleanup, and next weekend, I’m planning to paint the front door and garage door (if it’s not too hot).

I saw the final Harry Potter movie over the weekend, and it was good! I definitely bawled my eyes out over Snape’s story. It might be the hormones, but that was a tear-jerker! It was pretty awesome overall. We also hit up the ribfest in Kitchener on Friday evening and had some nice bbq. It was pretty great.

April 26, 2011 Updates

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Running

Over the weekend, I managed to run a whopping 13.3 miles (that’s a tiny bit longer than a half-marathon, or Pikermi, as some call it). It was definitely hard, but I did it! I ran a route that took me through town, so I was dealing with traffic, and a number of different surfaces- trails, asphalt, concrete.

Now that I know I can do it though, I’m going to think about when I’d like to do the half-marathon as a race. There’s a marathon and half-marathon in town coming up May 1, but The Odd Couple is closing the night before that, so the likelihood of me being properly rested for it is pretty well nil.

There’s several others coming up though that I can consider, and lots of shorter races- I’m already committed to doing a 5k Fun Run on May 29, and another 5k in July, and I can always do some 10k races here and there.

Speaking of The Odd Couple…

Theatre

I’ve been doing a little bit of running crew work for The Odd Couple, which is going into its final week of the run this week.

It’s a good show! I wish I could watch it properly, but I’ve been pleased to get to work on it in a backstage capacity. I’ve gotten to meet some great new people, and hang out with others I had already met but didn’t really know. Good stuff!

Choir

This past weekend, we sang Bach’s St. John Passion. The concert went really well. I don’t find myself enjoying St. John as much as I did St. Matthew, music or text-wise, but it was still quite good. Rufus Müller was fabulous as the Evangelist, as expected, and the turnout was pretty good.

Next up will be the Chamber cabaret concert on May 7, and then singing for Holst’s The Planets with the KW Symphony. Should be good.

Voting

I voted at my advance poll last Friday, because May 2 will be a little too busy for me to drive across town 2 extra times in order to get to my polling place. It is my first federal election as a Canadian! I was excited to finally get to vote in the country where I’ve lived for the past 6 years. We’ll see how the election turns out- the reports thusfar are quite varied.

Updates on Life and other Happenings

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Updates

Last week and weekend was pretty awesome. I got to do a bunch of cool things.

Guster and Jukebox the Ghost

Last Thursday, I went to a Guster show in Toronto (Guster being my favourite band of all time). They played at the Phoenix Concert Theatre– they’ve played there before and I believe we’ve been there for other shows as well. It’s a nice venue, I appreciate the balcony, because I am often too short to see anything at club shows.

Anyway, the show was good! The opening band was seriously awesome. They’re Jukebox the Ghost, who I hadn’t heard of before, but I have quickly become a fan of their music and their little ghost logo. I like their songs, and appreciate the use of keyboards/synths and harmonies and yeah, they were a pleasure to watch.

This was the first show of the tour, apparently, and the first couple songs in Guster’s set had a bit of that first-show grit to them, but things cleaned up quickly and the show was awesome overall. We got an actual encore! I haven’t been to many shows that went beyond the clearly-orchestrated encores.

The club wasn’t as packed as the last time they played there, which I actually liked because it meant I got a spot on one of the couches instead of leaning awkwardly against the wall. Maybe that means I’m getting old. 🙂 Though I’m sure the bands would have appreciated more tickets sold. Anyway, it was a good show, and both bands are highly recommended.

Elmira Maple Syrup Festival

Photo of me and friends inside the world's biggest sap bucket
On Saturday, at stupid-o-clock in the morning (or whatever time it is that exists before 7am) I went with some friends of mine to the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival. It was only my second time going, I went for the first time last year. It seems that the key is to go really early (before 7) or really late (11) in order to avoid a ridiculous line for pancakes.

We got there just after 7 and there was a line, but it wasn’t bad. It was really fun! We got pancakes, and I bought some summer sausage from Kitchen Kuttings (my favourite summer sausage in the world, seriously) and we I got some syrup and red pepper jelly, and got dumped into the world’s largest sap bucket for a photo, which was pretty great. I had a lot of fun! The weather was really good, which helped a lot.

KWLT’s Frankenstein

I finally went to see KWLT‘s production of Frankenstein, and had a great time. I was there as an usher, which got me a free seat, and I definitely enjoyed the show. I particularly thought the Creature was really well-portrayed- I was scared and found his plight really compelling at the same time. I was there closing night, so I got the benefit of crashing the strike party after as well, which was a great way to end the day.

Coming up

This weekend, I’m bottling two batches of wine- one is a particularly awesome Gewurztraminer-Reisling, and the other a blend that I don’t remember, but I heard good things about. So I’m looking forward to that! I’m also going to a outreach event for choir, essentially an open rehearsal where people come and sing with us on some repertoire we’re working on (currently the St. John Passion). Plus, the weather is supposed to be warm, so I’m excited!

Things that are Awesome, Part 3

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Surprise Parties

Crazy photo of meSo I happened to say in the course of talking about something else, about how one of my lifelong dreams was having someone throw me a surprise party. I just mentioned it in passing, in part of answering a question about ways to win my heart.

Some awesome friends of mine happened to notice this, and actually threw me a surprise party (for my half-birthday). I have to say, I was 100% surprised, didn’t suspect a thing at all! AT ALL. It was awesome. Seriously one of the most awesome things ever.

Also they got me a cake! And made me drinks and played games and it was thoroughly awesome. And Trevor took that crazy photo of me. Yay!

Dragon Age: Origins

Dragon Age LogoTrevor picked up the Dragon Age: Origins Ultimate Edition (Dragon Age: Origins, along with all the downloadable content, and Awakenings). He picked it up because he thought he’d like to play it, and I took to it quicker than he or I expected. And I’m a huge fan. I’ve never really gotten into an RPG video game as much I have this one. I think part of it is the characters- I find them very engaging, and I definitely enjoy all the character interactions. The story is pretty awesome as well.

And the voice acting! Some really amazing voice work on this title. I recognized a few voices right away (Tim Russ, Kate Mulgrew, Tim Curry) but I also really enjoyed the work from people whose voices I didn’t know (Steve Valentine, Steve Blum, Corinne Kempa, etc).

I finished my first play-through last night, and I’m going to have to start a new game and try some things differently- I think I’ll have to play through 3 times more at least in order to try all the things I want to.

Another thing that’s awesome about the game- the score. It’s my first real introduction to Inon Zur as a game composer. He’s done other games, but none that I’ve played. I was seriously an instant fan. He makes great use of horns and brass, writes gorgeous melodies (a sure way to win me over) and has great orchestrations that really evoke images and emotions better than any I’ve come across in a game before. I love film music and game music, and he’s definitely one of my new favourites.

Sunshine

A little sun (especially in the morning and afternoon when I’m going to or from work) makes everything better. As much as I avoid too much sun exposure (fair skin and a family history of skin cancer makes for a healthy avoidance of sun damage) I love a nice sunny day in the winter.

Favourite sweaters

Do you have one of these? I have this sort of army-green sweater with a huge cowly turtleneck, and I feel like a million bucks in it. Wearing this sweater just makes my day that much more awesome. I wish I had one for every day of the week.

The sunglass clip

I have to wear corrective lenses to drive, and thus, sunglasses become more difficult, as I’m not a contacts person. Enter the sunglass clip, that clips on to your existing eyeglasses! They’re much nicer nowadays than the flip-up clips from the 80s, and I’m super happy to have mine. I don’t really like transistions or photo-grey lenses, because I think they don’t go back to clear soon enough or fully enough. So this is a perfect solution for me.

Awesome headphones

Headphones
My ears stick out from my head in such a way that finding headphones that fit and stay comfortable over a decent length of time is difficult. At work, recently, we all got new headphones that are actually comfortable for me, and really nice for audio work or listening to music while we’re working! They’re the Sony MDR-V600 model. I love them.

Things that are Awesome, Part 2

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My Keurig Coffee Maker
I am kind of in love with my coffee maker. Trevor got it for me for my birthday a few years back, and it is seriously magical. It’s one of those cup-at-a-time makers, and since I am the only one in the house who drinks coffee, it’s perfect for me.

I also recently found a shop near me (Tweed and Hickory) that sells a huge variety of K-cups, and particularly my favourite kind (Creme Caramel!), in the larger box size. Yes!

Mini Cadbury Creme Eggs
I’ve never really been a fan of the Cadbury Creme Egg. All that goo in the middle was too much for me. Too much sugary goo, not enough chocolatey outside. And too big to eat without making a mess.

This year, some friends of mine told me about the MINI Creme Egg. So I bought a tube of them (they sometimes come in tubes, apparently) over the weekend, and tried them.

They are lovely and perfect. Much better chocolate-to-goo ratio, easier to eat, and not so huge. Hooray for the Mini Creme Egg!

Chili Cookoffs

At work, we have chili cookoffs twice a year, with the money raised going to charity. I make a chili most of the time, and I also have been running the cookoffs for the past few times. It has gone pretty well! We raise a good amount of money for whatever charity we’re giving to, and the chili is awesome.

I usually enter a chili, but I never win. This time I got a good amount of votes though! I was pleased. Hooray for chili cookoffs!

Winning awards from the WODL

The production of The Penelopiad that was involved with last fall was entered in the Western Ontario Drama League festival as an “Out of Festival” entrant (meaning that we were not planning to be eligible to take the show to the festival that happens each year.

The production won two awards- Best Ensemble, and an adjudicators award that was named “Fearless Theatricality or Theatre on a Shoestring Award”, haha. It was awesome. The first show KWLT has had adjudicated in a long time, and we made quite a good showing. Our director was nominated for Best Direction as well. Awesome!

Movies, weather, music, and running

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I finally saw The King’s Speech this past week, and it was awesome! And not just because of Colin Firth. 🙂 The costumes were really quite splendid as well, the screenplay was good, the acting was superb. I really enjoyed it.

This week also brought some very welcome above-freezing weather. Up to 7 or 8 degrees a couple days in a row! A lot of the snow melted, and everyone got a taste of that mental and physical perking-up that spring brings. It was awesome. I went out without my snow boots on! There’s something really awesome about the first day you can go without snow boots or a coat. Even if it is in February and the winter weather is still going to come back again before spring arrives properly.

Was back at the gym this week after a few weeks of not going, as well. I did lose a bit of speed in those couple of weeks, but I managed to get through one long-ish run last night (just over 6 miles) so that was good. I needed it.

Starting to work on the St. John Passion in choir. I never thought I’d say this (being a long-time anti-Bach type) but it’s nice to come back to Bach. I think I’m just now starting to realize why the big Bach fans feel the way they do. It’s a different challenge from the 20th century stuff we’ve just finished, and there’s something very comfortable about baroque tonality, even if the actual singing can be quite difficult sometimes.

Life and other things

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Lots of other things going on for me right now- so continuing in that sort of “blurb” format!
Back to the Future Poster
Enjoyable Outings: I went to see Back to the Future on the big screen at the Princess Cinemas on a couple weeks ago. It was awesome. That movie was such a huge part of my childhood, and it was awesome to see it in the theatre- I was too young to have done so when it came out. Aside from the big screen and sound, the audience and experience was awesome. Everyone clapped when George McFly decked Biff, and at the end! I haven’t been. in a theatre that applauded in several years, it always adds to the magic.

Last weekend I went to a ceili for the first time, which was so much fun. For those not familiar, think of like, Irish square dancing, I suppose. The music was great, and the dancing was fun (I actually remembered some of the dances from years past) and I totally want to go back again. It was near Robbie Burns day, so I got to try haggis! It wasn’t bad, but I probably won’t seek it out int he future. 🙂

Both of those outings were in relation to friends’ birthdays- so yay friends for having birthdays!

Yoga: I was taking yoga classes at my work, from a co-worker who teaches at GoodLife gyms in the area. She’s stopped giving classes at work, so I was kind of looking for a new place to go, because I really enjoy it. I thought about just going to the GoodLife classes, but couldn’t seem to get out to do it, and I was looking for something with a little more to it than just the exercise/physical aspects. I tried out the community class at Queen Street Yoga last night (after Stacey recommended it), and it was pretty awesome. Definitely going back. I might add in some classes from GoodLife as well, but Queen Street has a great space, and the approach is a lot more body/mind and not so much just exercise.

Theatre: I’ve made a deal with myself that I won’t do any theatre for a while. I’m planning on working on a show next winter, but between now and then, I’m going to just take some time away. I work on projects for KWLT outside of shows (specifically the website), and do so much other stuff that I wound up not having enough time for myself or my friends or family, and that’s lame. So taking a break. Should be nice!

Choir: There’s a concert coming up for choir, and I’m finding this season that I’m starting to feel a little choir fatigue. Maybe it’s just the way this season shook out, and maybe it’s just because I’ve been overwhelmed with other things, but That said, the upcoming show will be awesome, and I’m looking forward to that and the rest of the concert season. I just wish there wasn’t so much work to do between now and then.

Video Games: I started playing Starcraft II, and it’s super fun. I’m not very good at the game yet, but I did start playing a custom map called StarJeweled, and I am pretty good at that! Basically you play a game of Bejeweled and that lets you build units and stuff to beat the other players. It’s really fun! If anyone wants to give me some tips on how to play proper Starcraft, feel free. I’m good at building stuff, but not at winning. 🙂

I also bought Dr. Mario on the Wii over the holiday and that’s pretty fun. We played it like crazy, all New Years Day!

Other Games: Playing my first in-person game of Diplomacy this weekend. I’ve played online with people before, but never with the board and in person. It’s a long game, and I’m not great at it, but it should be fun!