Apr. 24: Catching up again

Here’s what kept me away from my blog most of this past week.

• Life got insane there for a while, with way too many ups and downs for my liking, so I’m taking today to relax and recuperate before I start another week. How will I do it, you ask? I’ve got Tina Fey’s new book, Bossypants. Good enough. Peace and quiet, except for my occasional LOL-ing at this very funny book, and I should be a happy, rested girl.
• I kind of really, really loved the spin on Rent’s Seasons of Love they did on The Office Thursday. Will Ferrell’s no Jesse L. Martin, but this was still all kinds of fun.
  
  
  
  Next week is Michael’s last show. Sad face.
• Yesterday was a gorgeous, sunny day here in Portland. The four of us went downtown in search of fun, and found it along the Willamette—specifically, at Saturday Market. I couldn’t resist a beautiful handmade glass-and-metal spinner for the front porch. We got elephant ears, semi-highs on weed smoke, and best of all, sunshine. It was crowded and crazy but good weather after a way-too-long winter brings out the best in Portlanders, to be sure. We Manullangs thoroughly enjoyed our day. 
• There’s a new-ish iPhone app called Crackle that streams movies and TV shows for free, though there’s not a huge selection (yet). Last night I watched Reign Over Me, which is about a guy who reconnects with a friend who lost his family on 9/11. It was sad but sweet and I loved Don Cheadle in it. Adam Sandler wasn’t bad (better than his dramatic role in Punch-Drunk Love, IMO), but his voice got on my nerves after a while, as it was at its whiniest. Oh, and I’ve decided I do not love watching full-length movies on my iPhone. An iPad would be much better. Or… a TV!
• Here’s an amusing tumblr page featuring pictures of cats where they don’t belong.
• Please tell me my kids weren’t the only ones who ate chocolate for breakfast this morning. (And Happy Easter, by the way!)
• Do you read PostSecret? I thought one of today’s secrets was especially snicker-worthy:
  
  
  Thank the gods that my kids’ teachers have all had a decent grasp of our written language; I’ve never felt the need to do this. EVER. But I see a lot of other teachers’ notes home that really, really make me want to shake ‘em.
  
  Having said that, the other day I caught a typo on a memo I sent out to teachers a few months ago. Get this—I used “please” instead of “pleased.” Yes, I said, “we are please to tell you…” Can you believe that? Would it be weird if I re-wrote the entire memo with a huge apology-slash-retraction? Would that make it worse? Because, really? I. Want. To. Die.
• At last week’s PTO meeting we had nominations for next year’s new board members. My term is up, but I may be re-signing to co-president with Sunshine. That is, if people vote for us. There are rumors that they won’t. Watch for more on that in a future post because OMG, I can’t believe people sometimes.
• Friday is the Royal Wedding. Sure, William and Kate are getting married, but the REAL royal wedding is at Willamette Valley Vineyards. Kim F’n is going to be Kim F’n-W! It’s sure to be a fabulous time, EVEN THOUGH Kim didn’t ask me to perform the ceremony EVEN THOUGH I’m an ordained reverend. (I think she’s afraid I’d curse too much.)

In closing, I want to thank all of you who emailed or commented after my last post. You are so good to me. It was a rough week. I don’t know how these things snowball and finally end up in a blog post, but I’m working on controlling them a bit better. Regardless, I love you for letting me be me.

Apr. 13: Day 24 of music meme

Day 24 - a song that you want to play at your funeral

I’ve always loved The Dance, but I think I would also have to have this song from Rent at my funeral—performed by Jesse L. Martin, of course, or Taye Diggs, if Jesse L. can’t make it. See how undemanding I would be as a corpse?

I’ll Cover You (Reprise), from the Broadway musical Rent (this video’s from the movie)

Mar. 28: Day 8 of music meme

Day 8: A song that you know all the words to

Sadly, my brain is full of a lot more lyrics than algebra or geography. Here’s one example of a song I sing along to, usually quite loudly, in the car. It’s “La Vie Boheme” from the Broadway musical and movie Rent. This video is from the movie—bonus points for having both Taye Diggs AND Jesse L. Martin in it. Raowr.

Sep. 3: Green babies rule

Exciting news for Rent and Wicked fans: Idina Menzel and Taye Diggs became parents yesterday. Their son was named Walker Nathaniel Diggs and is sure to be gorgeous if he’s anything like his mom OR dad.

I have no photos of the new baby—Taye hasn’t e-mailed them to me yet, like he has more important things to do and I suppose it’s possible he may not know my e-mail address or that I exist. So here’s the next best thing; one of the few scenes in the Rent movie in which Idina/Maureen and Taye/Benny appear together when he’s not being an ass and she’s not trying to steal the spotlight—also one of the most beautiful songs from the film and HELLO! sing it, Jesse L. Martin!:

 

What? You say you want more? Alright, here’s another one of my favorites from the movie, which my sister calls “The Lumberjack Song.”

 

Alright, I’m going nuts with the videos. Ignore them if you want to. This is the song that always brings me to goosebumpy tears—the final song in the first act, “Defying Gravity.” (Yes, this is bootleg Broadway in all its finest.)

 

Here’s one of the most emotional performances of “For Good” from Wicked that I’ve seen. The first part of the video is an interview; other than a little bit o’ Taye Diggs talk it’s kinda boring. The song starts at 3:21.

Jul. 4: Why all the tears?

I spent much of yesterday morning e-mailing back and forth with my cousin, who’s putting together a Saltmarsh-themed surprise thingie for which she needed my help. Specifically, she was looking for a picture of our grandfather. He died when I was six years old, so my memories of him are few but special. I’m in most of my pictures of my grandpa, so they may not be exactly what Deanna was hoping for, but she can crop me out if she wants to (meanie).

To find the photos I started digging through photo albums and boxes labeled “to be scrapbooked” and had so-so luck. Then I remembered that Kathy had scanned a ton of old photos for Dad’s memorial service, so I connected my external hard drive and started wading through all those photos.

Y’know how looking at old pictures can make you feel incredibly sad and happy at the same time? That’s how it was, looking at one picture after another of my dad, at varying ages and weights, and with me and Kath in varying hairstyles (though Kathy’s hairstyles made me cry with laughter, mostly… heh heh…). It’s not like I never look at photos of my dad, but sometimes his being gone just hits me a little harder.

I was home by myself, so I gave in to the need to cry. I don’t do that very often. I probably should.

While searching all those folders, I found the music we used for the slide show at Dad’s memorial service. And this one song—a song that I loved long before I ever realized how perfectly appropriate it was for the “apples of his eye” portion of the show—well, it gets me every time. The song’s not sad at all; in fact, it’s incredibly sweet, so I’m sharing it with you because if you’re a parent and it doesn’t make you cry, then your heart is most certainly made of stone, my friend. And also, I can’t be your friend anymore.

“You Steal My Heart Away”

Download this MP3 - (Right Click)

(Please let me know if that doesn’t download properly and I’ll post it a different way.)

Our next-door neighbors came home with their new baby last night. Tina posted photos on Facebook and this one, of their middlest with their youngest, just squeezed my heart right up. Sami’s such a sweetie—Alexander is a lucky little brother, don’t you think?

Jen E, I look forward to seeing a similar picture of your little ones in a couple weeks!

I made potato salad last night, using my aunt’s recipe. It was always my dad’s favorite kind. Although I was sure I’d eaten it before, I couldn’t remember it… until I did the taste-test this morning. Amazing how tasting something like that can take you back 35 years in one short second. It’s delicious, and I’m so glad we still have these favorite recipes being shared within our family.

I watched the Rent: Live on Broadway DVD this morning while I was cooking. So yeah, I’ve watched it 14 times this week, does that matter? Does it make me react any more “meh”-like to Angel’s story? To seeing Collins walk around with Angel’s drumsticks at the funeral? To current and former cast members on stage at the end for one last round of “Seasons of Love”? My god, man, do you know me at all?

After Rent: Live on Broadway was over, I watched the special features on the DVD. One of them shows interviews and clips of the show’s final week on Broadway last fall. Jonathan Larson’s parents were on it, as well as several cast and crew members who’ve been part of the show since its beginning. Goodbyes and endings and finales suck, that’s all I gotta say.

I was still watching the special feature and, along with all of those other things, that’s why I was bawling my head off when my mother-in-law and Julianne came in this afternoon. I felt like such an idiot. And I was trying to explain what was so sad about the show, and it just made me cry harder.

I think Darlene and Julianne are ready to have me committed. I really am fine, though; just a bit weepy. I’ll be back to my snarky, complaining self before you know it. Promise.

Jun. 30: What’s happening

I’m feeling a little bit pulled in every direction this morning and need to focus. Hopefully this stolen meme from Jen E @ MommaBlogsaLot will help.

Today…

Outside my window: The sun is shining, the sky is a beautiful blue, and I hear birds singing. It’s true! It’s a gorgeous morning here in the suburbs. I’d love to enjoy my coffee out on the back deck but the dogs would follow me out there, and then the kids would follow them out there, and then my own personal sky would totally cloud over and ruin my morning. I love my kids and the dogs, but they can harsh a mellow real quick.

I am hearing: The dryer. The birds. The clicking of 12 paws’ worth of nails on the floors. My stomach growling. The High School Musical soundtrack. Non-stop noise, in fact, coming from upstairs, moving downstairs until I order it back upstairs and then coming downstairs again. Jack has a friend over and they’re tormenting Katie, which is getting her AND the dogs worked up. Calgon, take me away! Is it too early to open the vodka?

I am thinking: I’ve got so many important things I’d like to accomplish today, but just ONE thing crossed off my list would make me happy.

I am hoping: My mom gets to Colorado. She flew out of Portland yesterday but her connecting flight in Phoenix was cancelled so she’s stuck there until 3 p.m. today with no deodorant. For her seatmates’ sake, I’m hoping she finds deodorant and finally arrives at Kathy’s tonight.

I am reading: David Sedaris because that’s what I do if I don’t dive right into another book after finishing one. I’ve got several books in my to-be-read stack but haven’t taken the time to choose my next one. Ever since my head bonk last week I’m not concentrating quite so well, so I’m enjoying the lightness and laughs from Mr. Sedaris.

I am creating: A new filing system, which I think is what’s exhausting my brain. I’m just so tired of having piles of papers all over the place. The filing cabinet I moved to the garage last year—to make more room elsewhere—has sat unopened ever since. It’s just not working for me out there. A big pile of PTO paperwork, which I need to be able to access easily, has been my big prompt to get my butt in gear with this project.

I am wearing: Jeans and a white tank, my usual post-shower attire when I’m not racing right out the door. I probably would have put jammies back on if I wasn’t expecting visitors in a few minutes.

In the kitchen: We’re trying a menu plan kind of thing for the summer. So far it’s working out alright, but I’m sure some or all of us will get tired of it soon because it’s a really boring one.

• Monday: Pasta (we had macaroni and cheese last night)
• Tuesday: It’s Mexican on the menu plan, but today’s the last day to use our California Pizza Kitchen free dinner prizes. We’ve actually gotten a little tired of eating there this month. I think I’ll get a few take-out pizzas for dinner tonight.
• Wednesday: Sandwiches
• Thursday: Rice and chicken (rice and nattō for Jack, which I encourage him to eat outside because it is quite the stinkified “food”)
• Friday: Pizza’s on the menu, but we might be pizza-d out by then.

Around the house: Besides working on the new filing system, I’m also reorganizing some bookshelves and listing some books on Bookins… doing some laundry… trying to keep peace between the dogs… nagging Katie to get her room cleaned up… dead-heading petunias in the front and back… with all this stuff, how am I supposed to fit in the Law & Order marathon today??? 

Plans for the week: Send out June invoices, get an algae eater for our very green aquarium (the goldfish keep eating them, so I’ll get a big, bad-ass one this time and see how that goes), organize the piles of DVDs that have taken over the shelf below the TV, and get my FrankenBrow stitches removed.

One of my favorite things: This week, it’s listening to the Rent soundtrack on repeat. But I’m also enjoying sitting on the front porch, listening to our fountain. It’s running again, by the way—I’m not sure I ever mentioned that it wasn’t, but we were kinda pissed when it stopped working after just three weeks, until we discovered the fuse had blown—and I love its peaceful, bubbly sound. Now, if only Lovely Lori H can be convinced our fountain is NOT a bidet…

A picture thought: (click to read captions)

 

Sophie’s here! Jack and Mack have disappeared to who-knows-where. I suppose I should go smoke them out. They’d hate to miss out on tormenting Katie AND her friend.

Jun. 29: ‘Cause everything is Rent

Local news interview video, Oregonian interview with Anthony Rapp

Yesterday we saw Rent on its tour stop in Portland. I’ve written about the movie and music repeatedly here (because I love the movie and music), but it was my first time seeing the show performed on stage. The big draw on this particular tour is that Anthony Rapp (Mark) and Adam Pascal (Roger) are starring in their original roles. It was one of those shows for which you really really really really hope you don’t get an understudy.

We didn’t.

So it was awesome.

The last Broadway performance was filmed and recently released on DVD; many of those starring in the show have continued in the current tour around the country. For me—because I’ve watched that DVD a meellion times—that means there were familiar faces besides just Mark and Roger. The actors playing Angel, Collins and Benny were in the “Live” DVD. Gwen Stewart (oh she of the amazing “Seasons of Love” solo) also appeared.

The actress playing Maureen was a surprise as a blonde, but I really enjoyed her. I’ve always had a hard time accepting the very dreamy Taye Diggs as a smarmy jackass, so I liked seeing a different actor as Benny. Of course, that is also why you didn’t read any headlines in The Oregonian today mentioning two women (the non-criminals Loveliest Lori and me) arrested for rushing the stage to touch the very dreamy Taye Diggs.

Speaking of Loveliest Lori, she and her group had a couple of extra unoccupied seats, and they invited me and Victor to sit with them. Their seats were 19 rows closer than our ticketed seats so we said yes because we are not idiots. Perhaps the best part, though, was getting to whisper with Lori throughout the show, occasionally about how Mimi’s derrière was way fab. (Is that wrong? I mean, for us to admire that girl’s derrière? Vic said he didn’t even notice Mimi’s derrière. Vic is a big fat liar.) At intermission I went to the back of the theater, where Mom was sitting with Betty and Manford, and dragged them up to sit near us, as there were lots of empty seats in the front. They loved the improved view, but Manford was disappointed that Mimi had changed from her derrière-emphasizing blue pants into a loose-fitting dress. Apparently he had noticed Mimi’s derrière along with me and Lori. But not Vic. Remember, Vic did not even notice.

After the show we all talked about how the cast’s energy was absolutely infectious. Seeing the performance live was a huge difference from watching it on DVD, and I’m already looking forward to seeing it again and again and again. I enjoyed it so much more than I expected to, and I fully intended to love it. The message and power of Rent simply consumed us in the best possible way. It was incredible.

Feb. 1: Viva La Vie Boheme

You’ve undoubtedly heard me rave about the Broadway musical Rent. I kinda can’t shut up about it and I’m not even going to apologize for that. Get ready, because here’s more.

Rent opened on Broadway in 1996 and quickly became a huge hit. My first exposure to Rent was watching the movie, which was released in 2005. My sister had seen it as a stage musical on tour and said she really hated it, so I wasn’t looking forward to it all that much, but because I’m a bit of a Broadway freak I forced myself to watch it. And also, um, Taye Diggs is in it. I know! TAYE DIGGS! This was my quickie review back then: sad story, decent music, left me depressed, Taye is yummy and Jesse L. Martin is pretty dreamy too.

The next time I talked to Kathy about it, I was all prepared to tell her I totally agreed that it was a depressing story and did not even come close to living up to the hype. But she said she’d been listening to the soundtrack and loved what she called “The Lumberjack Song” (no, not the great Monty Python song, but the one that Maureen and Joanne sing to each other at their engagement party—“Take Me Or Leave Me”). And because my sister is very wise when she’s sober, I took her advice and listened to the soundtrack. I don’t always agree with her musical tastes (Rascal Flatts? Hell-o, Kath???), but y’know what? That song is rockin’. Proof:



That’s when I discovered that the rest of the soundtrack rocks too; it just took listening to it a few times. The opening song of the movie, “Seasons of Love,” is phenomenal. “Today 4 U” is fun and cute. “I’ll Cover You” is sweet and romantic. “La Vie Boheme” is definitely the highlight of the show. “Without You” is haunting and sad but captures the mood of the moment perfectly. And the reprise of “I’ll Cover You” can make me bawl my head off, and usually does. Jesse L. Martin’s voice… lord almighty. I do loves me some brown boys.

What Kathy and I figured out is that Rent is a story that can draw a lot of different reactions. For us, I think, this group of young people that lived lifestyles so completely different from ours made the story feel foreign and hard to relate to. But breaking it down to its core, you can see that the story of Rent is love, learning to live with our choices, and following our dreams. And who can’t relate to that?

The other thing that helped me love the musical was watching the special features and commentary on the DVD. The story of Jonathan Larson (its creator) is life-affirming and heartbreaking all at once, and it makes the story of Rent all the more meaningful.

My mom fell in love with Rent immediately; it’s a social worker’s dream, she says. And while some viewers may think this is not a movie for kids, I have (with a bit of censoring) allowed Katie and Jack to watch it. I want them to understand that not everyone is just like them, and being different doesn’t mean they should be treated differently or have fewer rights.

One example of this is the very affectionate relationship between Collins (Jesse L. Martin) and Angel (Wilson Jermaine Heredia). Both characters are likeable and together, they’re so perfect—and quite pretty, too. I love their story. I love that, regardless of their HIV-positive status, they don’t wallow in their misfortune. I love that during “I’ll Cover You” Angel buys Collins a coat to replace the one stolen when he was mugged—a lovely little metaphor for the song itself. I love that Collins is carrying Angel’s drumsticks in the cemetery scene—it’s so very, very tender and sweet. This movie is exactly why I have become a fan of Law & Order reruns.



Probably the hardest thing for me to get used to was the character Maureen, played by Idina Menzel. Maureen is incredibly self-centered and obnoxious. This is so different from Menzel’s better known character—Elphaba in Wicked—that I had to watch Rent many times before I could see her as a totally separate, very different character. I love Elphaba; I do not love Maureen… and yet the movie/musical would be incomplete without her.

After 12 years, Rent closed on Broadway this past fall. It’s on tour now, but otherwise your only chance to see it is in its movie version or on a new DVD that’s coming out Tuesday. Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway is complete footage of the last Broadway performance; it was shown in movie theaters soon after Rent closed. Vic and I saw it then and found it a bit unusual—it was edited like a movie with close-ups and different angles and in that way, it wasn’t like sitting in the audience of the stage performance. Still, it’s very different from the movie version. It’s probably the closest thing you can get to actually seeing the stage show without, y’know, actually seeing the stage show. If you’re curious about how it looks, Amazon has the first 8:44 on its DVD page.

For those of you in the Portland area, Rent is coming for a week in June. Anthony Rapp (Mark) and Adam Pascal (Roger) are starring in their original roles, and if that isn’t enough reason to go see it then what’s wrong with you anyway? It’s a “special engagement” in the Broadway in Portland series but as subscribers we’re able to get tickets before they go on sale to the public. Let me know if you want some—your prices may not be any better than Ticketmaster, but the early seat selection can’t be beat.

And, 4 today, that is all I have to say about that.

Anything to add, Kath?

June 18: Everything is Rent

I’m a teensy bit obsessed with Rent. Blame my seester. She said she liked it, so I bought the DVD and watched it and also liked it because I do whatever she tells me to do. The DVD or movie soundtrack plays at least once a day in our house. Jack sings along to “Seasons of Love,” on the “Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes” line, which I think is kinda impressive. What is not so impressive is hearing Katie singing along to “Tango Maureen” and “Take Me or Leave Me,” both of which are laced with words of the, um, unsavory variety. Damn.

I mean, rats.

When the kids are around I skip some sections of the movie or temporarily turn down the volume. Some people might call that censorship. People like me. But I’m not a totally careless parent. Rent deals with some decidedly non-kid issues that I don’t feel ready (or able) to explain fully to Katie and Jack.

Katie: Why does Angel dress like a girl if he’s a boy?
Jack: Why are those people watching that girl dance in her unders?

On the other hand, it creates the opportunity to approach topics I want my children to understand. Katie asked why Collins was so sad after Angel died. I told her it was because he and Angel loved each other very much, that they were sort of married. When she argued that they were both boys, I said, “Sometimes boys love boys, and sometimes girls love girls. People can love whoever they want to.” She seemed alright with that answer. I didn’t get into the politics of same-sex marriage and how some people think recognizing additional solid family units is a threat to our society. Nor did I take a jab at our current joke of a president’s close-mindedness. There’s pa-lenty of time for that in the other 23.8 hours of each day.

Rent is hitting Portland on its current tour and I’m eager to see it on stage, especially because Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal are reprising their roles as Mark and Roger. Katie is already begging to go; Vic and I are not yet sure it’s a good idea. We’ll see—it’s a year away.

The other night the original cast of the stage musical appeared on the Tony Awards show. It was fabulous to see them all together and hear them perform “Seasons of Love.” There were just two disappointing things: where was Jesse L. Martin? And why did the dreamy Taye Diggs look like the love child of Malcolm X and Steve Urkel?