Here is why I love Bernadette Peters:

"Hello ladies and gentlemen, this is Bernadette Peters on 'Broadway's Best' reminding you all that 'ya cain't git a man with a gun!' And if he's listening to Broadway's Best, ladies, chances are you can't get him PERIOD."

LMAO!!!!! I literally started laughing out loud in my car when I heard that. It made my day!

*"cain't git a man with a gun' is a reference to a song from Annie Get Your Gun, which she revived on Broadway.....

Okay, here's an actual update while I actually have some time on my hands. I've barely had time to get online lately. Work has dominated my life, but I finally really know what I'm doing there now so I'm enjoying it more. It gets crazy busy, but the time flies by so fast because of it. I worked 9 hours the other day with no break (they don't give breaks) and it never dragged once because we had the lunch rush (which is always, without fail, insane) plus two large parties to get ready for and then wait on once they arrived. It's like your mind isn't allowed to stop, but I like the pressure. It's motivating and I feel proud when I get things right. It's not nearly as repetitive as Walgreens was, where your mind literally felt like it was going numb after just a few hours. So yeah, that's pretty much why I haven't been online as much, since I'm either working or drained when I get home! hehe.
My 20-year old cousin's wedding is this saturday. Is it bad that I'm dreading going? I should be happy because I love my cousin, want her to be happy, and weddings are joyous occasions. Yet I'm depressed somewhat. For several reasons really. For one, and this will sounds terrible, but Matt going with Danielle hurts me so much. I'd rather have him also go alone, and I know I'm horrible for that. It's not just because I have no date, it's because even if I did have one I'd still have to go alone. This wedding also ruins my wonderful "I'm so fabulously independant and loving it!" attitude that I try so hard to mask on myself and to others. What if some people really never meet anyone? What if I'm never in a substance relationship ever again? It's easy to find guys who only want to make-out or have sex. And sometimes it's fun to just make-out and not have it mean anything. I mean, who are we kidding, right? But it certainly doesn't help cover up loneliness or the need for intimacy, which everyone does need no matter what they may say. Anyway, yeah, I won't keep on harping this topic to death, so moving on....
I have piano on an hour and a half, and I've practiced all morning for it. I'm really getting to be quite good. My teacher always comments on how quick I pick things up, which is why I don't always feel the need to practice as much. But it's been a lot harder lately, so I've been trying to make more time for it. I really love it though, and can't wait until I'm good enough to start buying songbooks so I can play old standards that I love. They even have a Judy Garland one! And they have "moderate level" books to, for people who aren't as experienced. So with that being said, here is a song by Mr. Irving Berlin sung by Judy in Easter Parade:

I love a piano, I love a piano
I love to hear somebody play
Upon a piano, a grand piano
It simply carries me away

I know a fine way,
to treat a Steinway,
I love to run my fingers o'er the keys, the ivories

And with the pedal,
I love to meddle
When Padarewski comes this way
I'm so delighted
if I'm invited
To hear that long haired genius play

So you can keep your fiddle and your bow
Give me a P-I-A-N-O, oh, oh
I love to stop right,
beside an upright,
Or a high toned Baby Grand!

A survey from Kate! hahaha, I promise I'll have a real update tonight!

1. Which is your favorite Garland, Judy or Liza?
As great as Liza is as a performer and actress, I don't think she's even half as good as her mom. Definately Judy.

2. Favorite character on Will & Grace?
KAREN! That woman is to fabulous for words! hahaha

3. Favorite Sinatra song?
I don't really have one. I'm experiencing a Sinatra drought lately and just haven't felt like listening to him. But I've always loved Angel Eyes, The Way You Look Tonight, Moonlight Serenade, etc...lots of the slower romantic/torch songs that he does so well.

4. If you could chose to be in any classic film which one would you pick and what character?
Hmmm....It's A Wonderful Life, and I'd be Jimmy Stewart's character.

5. Favorite musical and what is your favorite character from that musical?
Cabaret, and Sally is my favorite character...I love how confident and seducing she appears yet how vulnerable she is underneath all that.

Interview from chanel_is_love5:

1. Okay, pretend Judy didn't die. You are in New York City and you take a tour of Carnegie Hall. You walk in and Judy is sitting in one of the seats preparing for her next concert( which you know nothing about). She sees you and tells you to come over. What do you do after that?
I'd fall flat on my face from my knees shaking, honestly. It's really a sickness how much I worship that woman! haha. But after that, assuming I'm still conscious, I would walk over to her and ask to hear some of her hilariously witty Hollywood stories! Everyone always talked about how funny she was as a person, not the tragic figure she's made out to be.

2. What is one place in the world that you would like to live for the rest of you life? I just loved New York...I love big cities like that and how they function and whatnot. I'd also love to live in San Fransisco, which is probally really where I'll end up.

3. What other movies do you enjoy? Why?
I love classics, particularly anything with Katharine Hepburn, Clark Gable, Cary Grant, James Stewart, Judy Garland (of course), etc. I love Philadelphia Story, Bringing Up Baby, An Affair to Remember, Casablanca, and those are just off the top of my head. I love the class of that whole era. The stars posessed a certain quality or charisma that I find lacking in actors today.

4. What's your favorite Judy song? Why? hmmmm....probally "The Man That Got Away." It was one of the first songs that I heard her sing where I was really knocked on my ass by her.

5. Who is one person dead or alive (Besides Judy or Liza) that you would love to meet? Why? Jake Gyllenhaal....because we are going to get married and I figure sometime we'd better meet and make the arrangements....LOL.

So now I need to pass this along....if you'd like me to interview you just leave a comment saying "interview me." haha....not to complicated.

New York is so awesome! I had the best weekend there! Let me just say though, that two days is hardly enough time to spend there. There's just so much to do! I arrived friday afternoon and Nicole picked me up at the airport and we took a cab back to her apartment. Hailing cabs, by the way, is a ton easier than I thought it would be. hehe. We took a lot of them to save time! So at Nicole's place I met her roommates Mark and Elizabeth (who were awesome) and we went out to eat in Timesquare and also just kind of roamed around there. It was so beautiful in the evening I could hardly stand it. After dinner we all took a late-night cruise around Manhatten which was awesome. It had been hot all day but by night was cool and there was a gentle breeze. The nest day we got up really early to try and visit as many places as we could before the Liza concert at eight that night (and oh, I'll get to her!). In the day we went to a lot of the famous museums that are down there, like the Museum of Natural History (which was awesome!) and Guggenheim (which I found kind of boring, one to many nude photographs.) We pretty much walked around the city all day, got lunch and dinner at some really fancy restaurants, and then....drum rool please....we had to get ready for Liza. Her show was amazing!!!! Our seats were in the FOURTH ROW! So she was literally right in front of us belting out songs from her films like Cabaret and New York, New York, her Broadway shows like Chicago, and then of course other standards from Kander and Ebb, Gershwin, Sondheim, Aznavore (sp??), etc. She was in fantastic shape, both physically and vocally. Sure she strained on some of the really high notes a little, but with her energy and charisma it hardly mattered. It was so awesome to see her live! After the show we went to a party and one of Nicole's friend's apartment and got a little to drunk whilst blasting showtunes the entire time. 20 musical theater majors drunk while singing broadway showtunes is fun...trust me, it should be experiences by everyone at least once. lol. The next day I woke up feeling okay thanks to chasers and so I went for a jog in Central Park with Nicole. It was so fun with the morning fog and all! At noon I took a cab to the airport by myself and flew back home. I wish I could've stayed longer. I don't feel like I saw enough of everything. To visit New York, you need at least a full week. But none-the-less, it was the most amazing weekend ever and I cannot wait to go back!

Hey everyone!

The last few days have been kind of hectic training at my new job, at the Chocolate Cafe. There is a lot to learn, and so many recipes for so many various drinks to remember. Tonight I had to bartend the martini madness hours that we have each thursday.....HOLY CRAP, drunk people are annoying!!! Especially when they come in groups of 12-20 people! And I was so nervous about spilling the drinks from those damned martini glasses, and people seemed to find it hilarious to watch me struggling walking over with them, that they enjoyed laughing, telling jokes, trying to trip me, etc, etc. Other than all that I do really love my new job. The people are all really cool and I actually hung out with one girl the other night with her group of musical theater friends, as she calls them. Somehow we were talking about the jazz music that was playing, and she mentioned that she had a craving for some Judy Garland, and I replied simply "you're my new best friend." lol. It was so much fun going out for drinks with her friends, like I already knew all of them and fit right in. Basically, I love this job so much better than Walgreens, where I was stuck alone behind a register for nine-ten hours straight, with just the customers to associate with. At the cafe we all work together,a nd when it's slow we just kind of hang around, try the desserts (we declare that it's for the customers' needs, as they are always asking what's good and what's not), joke around, etc. It's a lot of fun. And I get to work with Danielle next week! That'll be fun. I haven't worked with her yet, just had "hi and bye" moments as I got off and she started.

I am also excited for tomorrow morning, as I am off to New York to visit Nicole and see LIZA MINNELLI in concert saturday night!!!! I have been blasting her Carnegie Hall album and watching Liza With A Z in my room all day to prep for the excitement. I have to get up at 8 to head for the airport as my flight is at 11:30 and I am sure to get lost knowing me. My grandparents are driving me since my family is going to be at Chicago this weekend. I'm so fucking excited for this weekend! I just want to see as much of NYC as I can in 48 hours. I'll probally never want to leave. I mean, it's the heart of BROADWAY for God's sake!

So that's what's going on with me right now. Actually a lot more as well but I think I've rambled on enough for one entry! I probally won't be updating until Sunday night when I get back. I'll have a nice big update for everyone (aren't you all bubbling with excitement?!) hehe. Have a great weekend!

"My little town blues are melting away...I want to be a part of it!--in old NEW YORK" -Liza Minnelli

Kate has the best surveys! I dedicate this to you Kate since you're probally the only one reading it....LOL.

Broadway Favorites:

Name 10 of your favorite Broadway shows. (In no real particular order)
01. Phantom of the Opera
02. Chicago
03. Avenue Q
04. Wicked
05. Sweet Charity
06. Gypsy
07. Funny Girl
08. Hello, Dolly!
09. Thoroughly Modern Millie
10. Cabaret

Have you ever seen these shows live? If so, where?
01. yes, at the Fox. It was amazing.
02. No, I've only seen the film version. I would love to see it live though, they're always the best.
03. No
04. sadly no, I missed it when it came to the Fox
05. No
06. Yes, just saw it at the Muny last week, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well done it was! To bad I can't see Patti Lupone star in it in Chicago next month as Mama Rose....my life would be complete.
07. No, never seen the stage show, just the film
08. does St. Dominic's version count? hahaha! Otherwise, no....
09. No
10. twice, just college productions though, although both were great.

What's your favorite song from 2?
All That Jazz & Class

Who's your favorite character from 4?
Elphaba

What's your favorite scene from 6?
Rose's Turn

What's your favorite lyric from 8?
"Wave your little hand and whisper so long dearie, should've said so long so long ago"

From 10, which character are you most like?
Brian....or, in the stage show, his name is Cliff

Can you quote every line from 1?
no, I've only seen it once!

How many times have you seen 3?
never, but I've listened to the soundtrack a million times! So hilarious!
If you could be anyone from 5, who would it be? Why?
probally Charity I guess, I love the whole rising from the lower class and changing your life around thing.


What's your favorite quote from 9?
no idea

Out of all these plays, which one is your absolute favorite?
Probably Gypsy or Cabaret

Who's the best Broadway actor?
I love so many....Harry Connick Jr. is pretty great though in anything he does.

Who's the best Broadway actress?
Patti Lupone, Chita Rivera, Liza Minnelli, Bernadette Peters, and I loved Natasha Richardson in the 1998 revival of Cabaret

What's the best musical they turned into a movie?
Chicago, Funny Girl, Cabaret, Gypsy.....I can't make these kinds of decisions!!!!

Is there a musical you don't like?
yeah

If so, which one? Why?
Cats and West Side Story....I just thought they were dumb stories and I didn't care to much for the music in either.

Do you think the movie versions are better, or the original Broadway musicals?
Broadway tends to be better, but their are exceptions. Cabaret is a better film I think than the stage show, even though that is brilliant to.
This or That:
The Producers or Rent?
Rent.
Wicked or Chicago?
GAH! So hard. Chicago
Fiddler on the Roof or Oklahoma?
Fiddler...I hate them both though
Thoroughly Modern Millie or 42nd Street?
Oy, another hard one! 42nd Street
Hairspray or Grease?
Grease....although again I'm not a fan of either.

I always love starting new journals, particularly the first entry. I guess it's the idea of starting over with yourself in a way. That's what I love about writing in general...nothing is set in stone. Nothing is definate. Mistakes are of course a crucial part of living and learning and growing as people in the world, yet once all that is accomplished you can erase whatever it was holding you down and start over again fresh and more mature. If that's one thing I've learned in my 21 years of living it's that. You can be whoever, whatever you want to be and no one can, or has the right to, define you. I'm extremely content with my life right now. I have a new job, am going to a new school where I'll be living, for the first time, on campus, and just feel a renewed sense of who I am and what I stand for. I'm not sure exactly where it came from but I no longer feel like the insecure, over-powered shadow that I used to be. And it's because I simply decided that that wasn't who I was nor was it who I wanted to be. Isn't it funny how all the seemingly simple concepts in life are always the hardest to grasp? I guess I'm just rambling on now, but I wanted to start out my new journal on a positive note. I have no idea if anyone will ever actually take the time to read this, but I will and that's good enough I suppose!

"Life's not worth a damn, til you can shout, hey world! I am what I am!" -Linda Eder