12 of 12 October 2013

I finally set a reminder for this month. So here we have it. Saturday 12th October 2013

1 of 12
10:30am  - I'm having a bit of a throwback with my music lately. Today its Shania Twain.

2 of 12
11am - Couldn't ask for a nicer day. Warm and sunny - hope it lasts!

3 of 12

12:30pm - I decided to not give up on Glee yet. Bawled my eyes out watching the goodbye Finn/Corey Monteith memorial ep today. Beautifully done. Major props to Lea Michele

4 of 12
2pm - A box of memories, years and years worth of movie stubs and concert/theatre tickets
 

5 of 12
2:30pm - old friends being unpacked and packed away in a new storage box. I really do miss Buffy and Angel.

6 of 12
2:45pm - Finally throwing out my old Buffy VHS. Hopefully I will replace them with the DVDs...or hopefully someday Blurays.

7 of 12
6:20pm - Dinner out in Hawthorn with Jacinta at Bay City Burrito!

8 of 12
7pm - Hanging out in Glenferrie road Hawthorn on a warm Melbourne evening.

9 of 12

7:20pm - Hawthorn flag flying high! 

10 of 12
7:50pm - Oxygen's West Side Story at Xavier College in Kew.

11 of 12
10:30pm - view of the city from Xavier!

12 of 12
10:31pm - the church at Xavier all lit up. 

Theatre Light

So I have become a terrible blogger...I keep forgetting about writing stuff.

So after Hawaii I was quite busy for a little while. Work started up a glee club, with a singing teacher, but it was more of a choir really I guess. I could only go 2 out of 4 weeks because of Hawaii and my annual doctors appointment.
-Speaking of, it went well...I didn't get another lecture like last year.  He just said to keep exercsing and lose 5kg before next year...well AIM to.....

So back to glee club - After the last week, we were invited to sing 3 songs at The Greyhound Hotel across the road from work with our singing teacher who does a show on Friday Nights. So I invited Jacinta along, but had to kill time till 7pm which was when we were meeting. I fiugred it was too much effort to go home and back, so I drove around and got some dinner. Then met up with Jacinta and headed over. The place was tiny, and there were no free tables, because they were all reserved...so we had no where to put our stuff and it was kinda pointless. But our teacher had a table and said we could sit there till her friends arrived at 8pm. So we got up and sang...all 5 of us that turned up. It was good but kinda lame since we didn't have much atmosphere and the songs were over so quickly!
We are actually starting up Glee club again this week...hopefully will get a few more people this time around.

The weekend after we got back from Hawaii - was Idina Menzel's concert at Hamer Hall. We had great seats really close. She was great, and the show was different to what we saw in the US, so that was lucky. -I really wish she'd stop doing Poker Face though...

We also saw Legally Blonde again, which was great...and we hung out at the stage door to get our programs signed in Melbourne (finally) and chatted to everyone about the last show which was a few weeks later.
The last show was great fun.  Ness had her friends and Mum and Sister with her so we had a big group which was good. It was so sad to see it come to an end, and the cast did really well not to lose it...till near the end. I'm still missing it months later!
But the good thing is Lucy is going to be in Wicked when it comes back next year...so yay!!!!


The Production Company started back up again in July with Gypsy. It was really good. I was prepared not to like Caroline O'Connor much, but she was great in Gypsy...just not other things I guess.
Last month they did Singing in The Rain...which while Christie Whelan-Browne and Matt Lee stole the show...was pretty lackluster.
But our seats were amazing for both. We got a subscription this year and that means we can keep the same seats every year!


Jacinta also joined a Rotary Club and  they had a trivia night in July. I went along and met some of her friends. It was good fun. It was at the Richmond Town Hall. Afterwards we decided to head to the pancake parlour in Chadstone for some late night food!

Her friends also decided to do Trivia night at The Notting Hill Pub, and so now we do that every Wednesday night. We have managed to place 1st once, plus 2nd and 3rd. So we always have vouchers for the bar!

We have also had some changes happen at work. Susan has gone on Maternity leave, and Phillipa has moved to another department till April. So I went for Susan's level 5 job...but they didn't give it to me. -Which pissed me off...but I did get Phillipa's while she's away. We have Jodie with us now, who is lovely and has been working next to us with planning till now.
We are getting another new person this week. And then another at the end of October...so its all happening at work.

----------------
Carlie

Welcome to 2013

So its finally happening. I am neglecting the blogging. I'm guessing a result of having too much tv to watch, and being at work all the time, and having no time to write stuff down.

I haven't done much this year. I had a good New Years Eve. Went to Kay and Nick's and played a weird ass card game. But it was fun.
New Years Day I went to see Les Miserable. Which was really good.

I officially started my permanent employment with City of Port Phillip on the 31st of December. It was cool having a paid day off straight away.
Then on the 15th of January I took 2 days off and Ness and I went up to Sydney to see Legally Blonde again. It was great, and we chatted to everyone after the show. I got photos with David and Rob. But the stage door was CRAZY. We had to line up way out down the street, but they were all really nice and talked to everyone anyways.
Lucy told us she wasn't going to be doing the matinee the next day, so we were really really bummed....but at least we were warned. We spent the evening missing our post chatting to Lucy buzz.
But Tegan who is her understudy was good, although nobody can replace Lucy!
It was a quick little trip, back by 9pm Wednesday and back to work on Thursday.

Haven't been up to much else. Went to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang the musical at Her Majesty's theatre on the 7th after work with Mum. I loved it! I was disappointed Francine Cain (of Rock of Ages) wasn't in it more. I feel better knowing she's the understudy for Truly...but she's too short and too good to be hidden in the back in the ensemble.

Off to see Jersey Boys this Thursday. So excited to see that again.

Making plans to go to Hawaii in June. Just got to book things. 


-------------
Carlie

Adventure

So much has happened, since I've been too busy to blog....

So after the little Sydney trip, there was the bigger US trip at the end of October. It was a lot of fun going as a foursome. Course we didn't sleep much (I didn't at all) on the plane, and then had to stay up all day once we got there...cause it was 7something in the morning in LA. We dumped our bags and went over to the Farmers Market for some much needed Starbucks. Once we were able to check in at our hotel, Nick, Ness and I walked a few blocks over to the Beverley Center for some shopping. We had dinner at the Cheesecake factory and by the time we got to dessert my head was starting to spin, and it was time for bed.
The 2nd day was the VIP Warner Bros tour - which was amazingly awesome, followed by a taping of Mike and Molly! 3rd Day was the Paramount Tour, which was rather lackluster....and was missing the wow factor that WB had.
Then the 4th day we went to the Tar Pits, and Sprinkles cup cake bakery -with the ATM before an overnight flight to NYC!

We arrived very early in the morning, after a bit of sleep. It was FREEZING in NYC! Beautiful and sunny, but cold. It was too early to check in and too early to shop, so we went in search of breakfast. Then went shopping. After checking in at noon, we unpacked and had a short nap, before getting ready for dinner at Ellen's Stardust Diner (a must do for any New York trip). Then it was off to Annie. Annie was great, Katie Finneran was fantastic, and Anthony Warlow was good again too. The girl that played Annie, and the other orphans were all pretty great too. It was nice to see it done with professional Broadway kids for a change. We went to the stage door, and as luck would have it the whole cast had had flu shots and only Katie Finneran was coming out. -Which was okay by us, cause she was who we were waiting for! She was really lovely...it was nice to see her again. -New rule is that she must be on stage every time I come to New York, as she has been both times.
Sunday was hanging out with Kay and Nick, Lunch at the Olive Garden and then off to Avenue Q in the arvo, dinner at Maccas, and Book of Mormon that night. Book of Mormon was AWESOME. I only knew the soundtrack, none of the extra stuff, so that was really fun.
Monday Ness and I walked up 5th Avenue and went to FAO Schwartz and by The Plaza Hotel. Then back down to Grand Central station and around Bryant Park. In the evening it was off to see Nice Work if you can get it, which was amazing and HILARIOUS! Matthew Broderick and Kelli O'Hara and Jennifer Laura Thompson were all amazing, and it was great to get to meet them at the stage door after the show. - We also saw Krysta Rodriguez from Addams Family at the stage door - which I thought was cool.
Tuesday Ness and I walked down 14 blocks to The Highline park. It was really cool, and had nice views out towards New Jersey. In the evening it was off to Newsies. We had front row seats in the balcony, which were really close to the stage, so we had a great view. I LOVED the show, the cast was awesome. The guy next to me clearly wasn't into it though, he never applauded - which I found extra rude cause we were so close!
Wednesday Kay and Nick left really early...and boy were we tired, cause we didn't hear them leave at all.

In the morning it was shopping, and then off to see Once in the arvo. It was a good show, but not one I'd have to see over and over. So then came the most exciting part, we left the theatre and it was snowing! We were giddy as school girls walking around in the snow, taking pictures...and letting it fall on our hats, and coats. After dinner we came out to a bit of a blizzard. It was extra cold, and extra wet snow and slippery to walk and the wind was terrible. Walking a few blocks up to Wicked, was not fun at all. We walked very very slow. Wicked was great, but the theatre was freezing! The girl playing Glinda this time was great! I stocked up on plenty of merchandise to make up for 2 years without any Wicked.

Thursday was our last day in New York. We spent the morning sleeping in, then went shopping. I bought plenty of t-shirts. We went up to Rockerfeller to go to the NBC store, but it was still closed because of the election stuff. So that was disappointing. After that it was more shopping and walking around. We went up to Applebee's for dinner, the other one to the one we went to last time that wasn't great. This one was great. The food was amazing, and I ate too too too much. Then it was up the street to Studio 54 to see The Mystery of Edwin Drood. It was sooo much fun! Stephanie J Block was amazing, even though she was playing a woman playing a man. Will Chase was great too! They all were, not a weak link in the bunch. It was funny and crazy and the best part was that its interactive! Once the story runs out you get to vote for the murderer and the couple. Its unlike anything else I've seen. There weren't many people at the stage door, which worked out in our favor. Stephanie was lovely, and talked to us about Australia, and the snow...we may have squealed a little bit about the snow. Will Chase (of Smash) is crazy, but nice!!

Friday morning we were up early, after a few hours sleep, and it was off to the airport. Our plane was delayed slightly, but we made it to LA and then down to Anaheim. After settleing in, we walked around to Disney California Adventure. We looked around and got some lunch, then lined up to go on the new Cars ride. 2 hours later we were on the ride. The we walked around and went on the Ferris Wheel and the Little Mermaid ride....twice. Then we met up with Kay and Nick for dinner. It was nice. Then we watched the World of Color show. It was soooo pretty. I bought the ears that light up with the show, and wore them proudly, even if hardly anyone else was.
Saturday morning we were up early and off to Disneyland. We got breakfast, did Space Mountain, and then roamed around and did plenty more ride throughout the day. There was some shopping, before going out for dinner with Kay and Nick at Fire and Ice at Gardenwalk. Then it was back to Disneyland to see the fireworks...that ended up being cancelled cause of hte wind. So we went on the Astro Blasters and took some pictures and shopped before heading home to bed and to pack. Sunday we checked out and went to breakfast at IHOP. We had terrible service. Then it was shopping at Downtown Disney (or Downton Disney as we were calling it). Then it was back into Disneyland on the monorail and then over to DCA for shopping and to see the Aladdin Musical. It was interresting, not Broadway standard, but still fun. Then it was back to the hotel, to repack and then it was off to the airport.
At the airport we changed into our comfy trackies and then it was back on the plane and before we know it we were home again.

I had the rest of the week off, and enjoyed relaxing. But I can't wait to go away again.


-------------
Carlie

Musical Weekends

Been so busy lately, there has been no time for blogging!

Thursday night I went to see the new production of Annie with Mum and Vanessa. I saw it years ago when they did it with Anthony Warlow and Amanda Muggleton. This time Anthony was back as Daddy Warbucks, with Nancye Hayes as Miss Hannigan.

It was a good show. The little girls were cute. The girl that played Annie was good, but you could tell she was nervous and not a pro, but that might change with time.

The funniest thing of the night was that Bert and Patty Newton sat down right in front of us....I couldn't stop laughing at the irony...Wicked's theatre, with the guy we hate in it...but the people lining up for pics and stuff was cute - lots of little girls.


Sunday I was back in the city -after a long detour due to traffic and road blocks- to see Moonshadow the Cat Stevens musical with Ness. It was very pretty, the music was pretty good and the cast was great! Marnie from Hairspray, Rodney from Wicked, and Blake who won the rob guest endowment last year were all fantastic! But I'm still not sure if I actually liked it or not...the story was lacking something. But I definitely didn't hate it.
It was still previews, so maybe they will make some changes for the good.
Not sure if I'll see it again...time will tell.

Looking forward to the many musicals coming up in the months ahead!

------------
Carlie

A Chorus Line

Last Saturday night Ness and I went to see A Chorus Line at Her Majesty's Theatre. I had fairly low expectations, which was good because it is not a big flashy musical. It is simple, but touching, with nice songs, some better than others. The cast was great, some very talented kids, and some older great characters. I thought the girl who played Diana was great.

But overall it does not have a big production value. It's a good show, with a good cast, but it's not as big and flashy, that I feel the need to go again...somehow like every other musical I've seen at that Theatre. I liked it a lot, but definitely not feeling the need to go again.


------------
-Carlie

Week 3

Well....I really should stop calling every post 'Week....' but for now its all I've got!

The job is going good, I'm really getting into the swing of things now.  The driving is okay, usually....but I gotta laugh every morning/arvo when I pass multiple trams with the Rock of Ages ads on them....while blasting the soundtrack and belting out along with.... I feel I have over listened to it now though, and took it out of my car. The last 2 days I have been listening to 9 to 5...then 2nd good 'wake up' cd.

In other news - I had a great but busy weekend. I felt like baking on Saturday, so I did...I make choc chip cookies - while playing the Grey's Anatomy musical soundtrack. Apparently my life needs a soundtrack for every action!
I then took the cookies down with me to Ness', where Kay and Nick already were visiting. I'm liking the regular catch ups. Its fun to do things as a group! We went down to The Good Guys to buy my new cd player -after fighting with the old one for so long. Its very pretty, and plays my ipod too! Although mine is really old, so I can't use all the features with my ipod, but I need a new one soon anyways!
We came back ate the cookies and watched the Buffy Musical of all things. I gotta admit I still kinda love it...and it made me want to go back and watch a few select 'golden' eps. Makes me wonder if I should ever get around to completing my dvd collection. I only have seasons 1 and 2...but I have ALL of Angel though.

Kay and Nick left after dinner and Ness and I finished off the 5th season of Bones, and then watched Date Night. Still hilarious after multiple viewings!

Sunday I was going to sleep in, but woke up early-ish. But that was okay cause it gave me time to play with my cd player. I went over to Jacinta's in the afternoon and we went and saw Bad Teacher. It was pretty funny, Cameron Diaz was kinda annoying, but the rest of the characters were good. Jason Segel was kinda adorable. There were too many people I knew in it though! We hung out for a while after and went out to get some dinner, before I came home to get my stuff together for work...and then the weekend was over!

Auntie Marg is starting to sell Tupperware now...so she had a launch party Tuesday night. Mum and I bought a few things, and mum got roped into having a party. But its the new catalog will be out by then, so I can buy lots of new stuff! YAY!!!!

This week at work has been good, the other young girl was back from her holidays, so we chat a bit. I am feeling more comfortable with the phones now, and getting used to the place.
Tomorrow we are having another birthday morning tea, for the boss. These people have too many birthdays! haha. I had time to make something this time. We'll see how they go over. Its always hard to think of what people might like.

This weekend I'm pretty busy again. Going out both Fri and Sat nights...and spending all day sat and sun cleaning out my Grandparent's house.I'm going to be exhausted...before the week even starts! Crazy. lol. I might be in bed at 6pm on Sunday.
Oh well....at least I am making and spending money...that makes me happy!


----------
Carlie

Week 2

So I had a good first week at Monash. There has been lots of info to remember and things to figure out. I have notes, but its hard to keep those updated. I guess it is just going to take a while to make things CLICK.
Friday was a good day. We had free dress with fundraising for Jeans for Genes day. So I got to wear my jeans and donate a dollar...like in high school. hah.
We also had a big morning tea for 2 birthdays. People made stuff and it was quite a spread! However, I'm not into sandwiches and cheese platters. But the sweeter stuff was nice. Next time I'll try and make something nice, I ran out of time by going out Thursday night. Jacinta and I went to La Porchetta for dinner. I went over after work since she's just down the road from there. It was fun, but I can't seem to finish a meal anymore. Which is good, but also annoying.

Saturday night was group night at Ness'. We had chicken and chips for tea, which again was too much! Plus there was excellent sweets...I just wish I had time to digest my dinner before being forced to eat Vicky's lemon meringue pie. The plate turned up while I was still eating my tea.
We did unofficial Queen Latifah musical night...we had unknowingly picked the 2 musicals she's in to watch - Chicago and Hairspray. -I swear that was nobody's intention. But everything else got vetoed, by at least 1 person.
I stayed over and Ness and I browsed the Helpman Awards -which were sucky in my opinion. Sunday we watched some high quality Bones.
I got home mid afternoon, had some tea while I listened to an old Alias commentary, and organised myself for work. I had some quality music time, listening to Book of Mormon and Stephanie J Block's album. SOOO different, but both SOOO good.

Today was a quiet day at work, I'm still figuring things out with the work, its a bit confusing, but I think I'm starting to get it.
I think the novelty of having a job has already worn off...but I haven't been paid yet, so that might come back! The only prob is trying to find to go shopping for new work clothes. I have enough to make do with for now, but I'm gonna get really sick of wearing the same thing every week.


--------------
-Carlie

A Brave New World

So there have been a few new developments since my last post....got called up for a job I'd applied for, went and interviewed with agency last Tuesday, and then got called up to interview for Thursday, and then got the call on Friday arvo that they wanted me to start Monday. So that's pretty cool.

Even without the job stuff I've been pretty busy this last week. I went to Ness' Wednesday night, which was lucky seeing as we were both busy on the weekend, so we didn't do a weekend catch up. Friday Neil and Marg brought over our Tupperware orders. My stuff is cute, but who knows when I'll get a chance to bake something and use them! lol. In the arvo I went shopping for tons of junk food for my weekend, and then spent the night watching random tv. Saturday I had a good sleep in and then went shopping in Camberwell with Jacinta. I had to look for some clothes to wear this week to work. I found a few tops and just sorta grabbed anything I liked, and then kept thinking of other things, and had TONS of stuff by the time I got to the register it was up over $200! Which seems like a lot, but I bought many things, and its all gonna come in handy. We also went to Safeway, where I bought some more chocolate, cause it was really cheap. We also hit JB and I bought a few movies, The Princess Diaires, Pretty Woman, and You Again.

We had to go help Mum look for her keys, after she lost them doing the census and we had to go let her into the car. We didn't find them, but she did get a call yesterday that someone found them. -So that worked out.
We had the house to ourselves Saturday night and after grabbing dinner we did a Wayne's World marathon, watching both movies. We then watched Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets which we found when flicking channels. After she left, I was still really awake, so I watched Easy A.
Sunday I vegged out and watched movies all day. I started with Clueless -which I hadn't watched in ages, but was in my mind all week. I watched the Alias Pilot commentary for about the millionth time. -I had to go back down to Camberwell in the arvo, cause Target had left the security tag on a cardigan I bought. I ended up watching The Princess Diaries when I got back.

So Monday I had to get up really early to makes sure I had enough time to get to work by 9am. I have to drive, but that's okay. I get a parking pass so I don't have to move my car, or pay. The first day was a bit slow, waiting around for something to do. It was a bit scary too, but the people all seem nice, and there are plenty of shops around - its a few blocks from The Glen, and right next to Century City. -Oh yeah, the job is with Monash City Council. I'm working in Rates and Property. So far I've been practicing and working under supervision, I'm getting more comfortable with it - its starting to sink in which is good. -Getting there and back is pretty easy, its pretty much 2 roads, and when people move its a quick trip. The mornings take longer cause of the 40 speed limits, but its not too bad.

I'm pretty exhausted, cause I'm not used to getting such little sleep, but I'm starting to adjust to my new routine. Also my Amazon order FINALLY arrived today. Its about bloody time, it went through France and Germany first...for some unknown reason. But I finally get to listen to The Book of Morman soundtrack. I also got Stephanie J Block's album, and a bunch of others that I haven't listened to yet. I also got Tina Fey's and Rob Lowe's books. Just gotta find time for them all now...

I guess that's all for now. I can't wait to sleep in on Saturday. But I imagine the weekend will go really quick!

-----------
Carlie

A Little Bit of Theatre

So I was kept quite entertained last week, caught up with Ness a few times, and Jacinta as well!

Sunday night I finally saw the last Harry Potter film. It was really good! But then again, I don't really remember much from the book as its been years since I read it, so my opinion may change if I get around to re-reading the books...which I would like to do...but I'll have to complete my collection, I only have the last 3.
We went to Century City at the Glen. It was still really busy, I'm glad I decided to book online in the end. It just meant I could pick decent seats. Which at 18 bucks a movie these days, you want a good seat! I can't believe it costs almost 20 bucks for a regular no frills 2D movie!

Tuesday I had another appointment at Centrelink, all that is going along pretty well. But I still haven't had any job interviews. In the evening I went down to Ness' and we watched some quality Bones. We have become addicted to the Oreo choc shakes from Maccas, but when we went out to get some they didn't have any chocolate, so we had to have vanilla ones. They were nice, but not quite the same.

Wednesday, Jacinta came over and we watched some old SNL and odd tv here and there. That night I went to the arts centre to see Anything Goes with Amanda Harrison of Wicked. I had become obsessed with this show after seeing it at the Tonys. Then when reading the paper on Monday, I came across an article about Amanda doing it THIS WEEK ONLY at the arts centre. So I knew I HAD to go, and Mum was in too. Since Ness was working every other day 'cept Wednesday, that made the decision about which night to go easy. The tickets were pretty cheap which was good, and even though we were 3 rows from the back we still had a great view of the stage...and the seats in front of us were empty which was awesome!
The show was a lot of fun, Amanda was awesome as Reno. The rest of the cast were pretty talented too! The girl that played Erma was great, and Billy and Moonface Martin was great too! Overall it was a limited budget production, so there were not really proper sets or multiple costumes, but in terms of production value it still was really top notch when it came to the performances. There wasn't quite as much tapping as I would have liked, but you can't have everything!
Now I'll just have to wait for the Broadway production's cast recording to come out, so I can listen to the songs whenever I want!


------------
Carlie

Shopping and More Shopping!

Wow, I have sort of forgotten about blogging in the last few weeks. But I've been kinda busy too - in some ways anyways.

I finally did get my appointment on the Thursday, even though they were running late, so they didn't call till an hour later! -I was getting nervous for bit there....
It went pretty well, and seemed not too complicated for them to do over the phone. Then I just had to go to the recruitment agency on the Tuesday...which turned out to be not what I expected at all. I had an appointment, so I thought I'd get to chat to a person about jobs...but nope. The girl at the desk took my resume, gave me a job seeker ID, and I was done. It seems kinda stupid to me, but whatever.
Then I had to go into Centrelink that arvo to hand in my forms. I did and it took a while, but finally I was done. I got paid on Wednesday. including back pay to the start of the month. So that was great, I was able to pay my credit card bills and phone bill.

Wednesday I went to Jacinta's, and we wanted some quality, and some very bad SNL. Good times!
On Thursday, I went to Chadstone with mum to look for some new interview clothes. Seeing as I have to apply for 10 jobs a fortnight now, in order to get my payments. We looked in Myer, and found a top and cardigan which was good. But no luck with skirts. We looked around a bit more, and had lunch, and then headed over to visit Grandma. She was upset about a letter John had sent...which is what has been bothering the family ever since.... he wants to take away my mum's power of attorney....He doesn't want to sell the house...his reasons for all this remain unclear...some say its about money, some say he just wants to fight. Anyways...it upset my Grandmother that he said she had dementia and was incompetent and drugged up....she's very with it in my opinion...especially compared to all those other people there!
So after that we raced off to see Mum's solicitor.
She has to go to VCAT this week for the hearing. Its 3 siblings against 1, so it shouldn't be a problem...and my Grandma wants mum to do it, so things should go our way....but you never know.

Last weekend, Ness and I did our thing Friday night, watched some quality Bones....and a terrible movie because Janel Moloney was in it....oh the things she makes us watch to see her!

Saturday night it was just us 3 sibs home, Nikki was having her friend over, then Scott said he was having all his friends over...I protested. Then he started bothering me, when I was out in the other room, and it caused a fight. My brother is acting like he is entitled to everything just because he has a job...and is a man. He has this terribly skewed view...which I blame on my dad...he used to act that way. But my bro was saying some very nasty and hurtful things...ass.
I'd offered to take Nikki up to get Maccas for dinner...we picked up her friend on the way, and Nic asked if I had money...I did...MY money. But it was my choice to shout them, and take them. But Nic was totally rude about it. She fussed when I asked her to hold my drink while I drove the car...because that car doesn't have cup holders! She wouldn't carry the bags either! And was not 1 bit grateful for the whole thing...next time I'll go by myself!

Didn't do much this week, but had the whole house to myself on Thursday, so I watched some movies and dvds. But then got ditched by the family for dinner, so wasn't so happy about that...I'd actually gotten bored having the place to myself!

Friday I went to DFO with Ness....and found SO many bargins! I went with a plan to get jeans and skechers....but managed to get jeans and a singlet for only $20 at just jeans! CRAZY! I had to get skechers to replace the ones I had to take overseas, that had to be thrown out when I got back...cause they smelled. But my new ones are pretty and purple! I also got a few new long sleeved tops from Giordano.
We headed back to Ness' and did moviepalooza! We watched the newer Annie with Kristin Chenoweth...and lots of other tv people. Then we got dinner....with a side trip to maccas for oreo milkshakes, and watched the comedy ladies emmy roundtable, which was well worth the hour it took to watch -funny stuff! Then we headed down to JB...and I ended up buying a few movies cause they had a buy 3 pay for 2 deal.
After that we watched a movie we'd been trying to find for ages, but it still hasn't come out. Its Kind of a Funny Story. Great movie. After that we watched Yes Man, then He's Just Not That Into You, and then Valentine's Day....by this time it was 4:30am and by the time I got home and in bed it was about 5:30am!

I only slept in a bit, but wanted to go to Target with mum, so I was up at 11am. I then went on to buy some much needed new bras! Go figure, Target had good ones and cheap! I spent the rest of the day dozy...but watched Julie and Julia that night with mum, and then slept for a long time yesterday...and again today.
Last night Jacinta and I went out to dinner at Michaelangelos in Burwood. The food was good and we had coffees and desserts. We did a trip up to Kmart cause she wanted to get stuff out of her locker, then we headed back to my place for some random chatting and tv time.

All last week I had not been sleeping well. I have been having trouble falling asleep, and then waking up early! Finally my lack of sleep on Friday night seems to have reset that. I am finding it easier to fall asleep, and also am able to sleep in. But now I'm having all these weird dreams, but not just weird....scary and unsettling things are happening too! Last night I had one about how I ran out of petrol in the car, and then got a ticket for not putting the new registration sticker on....and also one about sharks right outside the backdoor of a beach side house! I miss the nice dreams.


Got a few things on the agenda this week...should be an interesting week.

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-Carlie

Hairspray Weekend

So I’m a little behind on my blogging. I’ll do last weekend first, and try and get this weekend’s activities up soon.

Last weekend (May 1st) was the big final performance of Hairspray in Melbourne. Saturday arvo I went over to Vanessa’s and we did our thing. We watched Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice, watched the 30Rock 100^th episode, watched more Bones, and started our new dinner show Rizzoli and Isles. That was Saturday night. Sunday we got up, walked the pooches, dressed smartly and headed into the city. We popped into the Ian Potter Arts gallery to see the VCE arts exhibition in which Ness’ brother Nick was featured. There were lots of cool stuff – like creepy costume, destroyed wedding dress and pretty photos. There was also some weird stuff that I just didn’t get – but that’s art for you. Not everything is for everyone. Nick’s work was very original especially compared to some of the other stuff. Creepy/Weird but in a cool Tim Burton way! I liked all the detail, but my golly he must use a ton of ink!

After that we headed up to the theatre district. We got lunch in this little café next to The Comedy Theatre. It looked nice, but they took forever with some of our orders, and I had to go ask about my milkshake and I wasn’t the only one reminding them about stuff. –So I definitely wouldn’t recommend it if you were in a hurry! I mean they took the orders on Post-its!

After that we headed up to The Princess Theatre. I went to join the line for the toilets while Ness waited to meet her friend outside. My friend Laura from high school was working there again, and I chatted to her for a while, while I waited to move through the line. We had seats right near the end, at the first door, so we had a ton of people climbing over us cause they were not early getting into the theatre, but the seats were pretty good once things got started. Even though we were only 1 seat from the end, you can see just about everything from there.

Now I love Hairspray more than the next person probably…but its not MY show. This one belongs to Ness. It is her obsession, and I accept that. It’s hard to be obsessed when you only see things for the 2^nd time at the final show. The last show was a blast. Everyone was extra excited and cheering which was fun! It didn’t have quite the same ‘rock star’ vibe that the final Wicked had, but Wicked is a very different show altogether vibe-wise. Hairspray had a lot more kids in the audience…some who were very annoying and had annoying parents!

At intermission I ran into Laura again, and chatted to her about the shows I saw in NY and about what I’d been up to. It was really good talking to her. I don’t really see anyone from school anymore and always end up running into Laura at the theatre, but we never really have a chance to talk.

After the show, and the tons of cheers and applause we gave the cast, Ness and I raced straight out the doors and to the front of the line for the stage door – we planned our seats especially for that!

It was my first Hairspray stage door experience and my first since New York. I brought along the program and decided on having the cast sign the front cover, because it would have taken too long to find the pages – cause it was crazy busy…but I probably would have had time, but I know who they all are! Oh well. Everyone was really lovely and that made it really fun!

After it was all over…Ness went looking for her missing cardigan, and ended up having to go through the stage door to get it…which I thought was really cool! – She crossed through to the other side! Nobody does that!

We headed  home…well back to Ness’ place, after picking up the puppies from her parent’s house. We ate some toast – having not had any dinner, and watched some more Bones to cheer us up.

It was a very full on weekend, but it was a lot of fun. Unfortunately there are no good future musical prospects! I have no interest in ‘Dr Zhivago’ or the Phantom of the Opera sequel ‘Love Never Dies’.  I don’t know what the next big show to come to Melbourne will be, but hopefully it will be something awesome! –Maybe I should start saving in advance, always keep a little musical savings fund going!
I’m surprised Hairspray didn’t stay very long…it seems like a short run in Melbourne to me, same for Mary Poppins. But maybe I’ve lost perspective after Wicked was going for over a year in Melbourne!

But I guess really when it comes down to it, I just need a job – regular income. That would make musicals easier.

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Carlie

Rock of Ages

It was so nice to be back at the theatre. My 2nd time this year. Saturday night I got all gussied up and drove into the city to see Rock of Ages at the Comedy Theatre. I was on time, until I started looking for parking...that's always my downfall. I must remember to leave earlier next time. I ended up parking in Lonsdale street just down from the theatre in a parking garage that only charged 7 bucks for the night. -A pretty good deal if you ask me!

I met Ness at the usual restaurant in Burke st and ordered the first thing that popped into my head - pizza. Which I don't think I've actually ever ordered from that place before, so its ok. -not that I NEED to justify my food choices to anyone.

We headed down to the theatre around 7:30pm, bought our programs for a respectable $20, and hung around in the lobby till it was time to go in. -I haven't been to the Comedy Theatre since I saw Avenue Q with Brett and Nick years ago, but the lobby of the theatre reminded me of the Broadway Theater in New York where Promises, Promises was.

We had good seat on the aisle, with no great visual blocks or anything. It was an interested crowd of people in the audience. We were definitely on the very lowest end of the age scale...except for maybe a few teens. Mostly it was oldies..but that's to be expected with the kind of music.

Once the show got going, I really started enjoying it. I didn't really know what to expect. It was definitely funnier than I expected, and the legendary music was worked in really well. -It was hard to not sing along.
They gave us fake LED lighters to wave at the door...but no one really used them till near the end.
My fave characters were Regina, Franz and the narrator guy..whose name I can't remember right now...I want to say Lonny...The main two were really good too!

There was one bad thing about the show - that they served drinks during the show and took orders...people would walk up and down the aisles taking orders while the performers were on stage...it was somewhat distracting.

By the time the show was over, my ears were ringing like a real rock concert! There was no where to go afterwards, so we dawdled around for a bit before heading off to our cars. The 7 buck carpark worked out good -although it was a little dark up there when I was leaving, but I was parked right next to the elevators so I felt safe. I was home pretty quick too - its always an easy trip, only 20 minutes give or take.
I was singing the songs and was way too hyper to sleep, but after starting to watch some tv, I became exhausted very quickly, and was out like a light when I went to bed. -I did have weird dreams though....long episodic ones...

Anyways all in all it was a good night, a lot of fun and I might see it again before it leaves Melbourne if I can find the money.

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Carlie

Musical Soundtracks and Personal Space

So I've been busy this week. I hung out with Ness Tuesday night and Wednesday. Thursday night Jacinta and I went to see Rango, it wasn't fantastic, but it was funny at times. I thought the references were a tad over the heads of kids. Plus there wasn't enough to keep kids entertained. But it was still worth seeing for 7 bucks! lol.

Last night Ness and I did Bones/Thursday night TV night. We did chocolatepalooza, but we didn't make it through all of it....because we know when to stop! A very good sign. lol.

My amazon order arrived on Wednesday, so I now have more dvds to add to the watchlist. I also got the Addams Family original cast recording. Its nice to finally have my own copy. I played it in the car yesterday. I really loved that show, and would have seen it again if I could have.
I also bought the Australian cast recording of Mary Poppins thursday night. I haven't listened to all of it yet. Its a little odd with the applause from the audience at the end of songs, but its still good.

I also had to take my ER season 13 dvds back to JB on thursday, to get them replaced because one of the eps had faults. But the new copy seems to work properly. Now I've only got seasons 14 and 15 to buy/watch. That'll be fun. Hopefully they'll go on special sometime soonish.


Last week was fun with super duper slow internet, but luckily there wasn't much to download. But it set me back with my job searching. So I'll try to put in some time this weekend and apply for some. Yes I need money, yes I need something to do....but it has to be something decent, in terms of description/tasks.


I forgot I was going to post a comment about this woman at my Grandma's home...she has serious boundaries issues. Everytime I see her she ends up touching me. She put her hand through the open car window and patted my head...ick. Maybe I just have extra sensitive personal space issues. But I don't like total strangers touching my head or shoulders. Its creepy. I'm not a hugger...I was when I was a kid, but not now. I was never a huggy teen either. So keep your distance lady - its not nice!


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Carlie

2009 A Year in Review

So here is my summing up of the past year's hightlights, and lows.


January

Started the new year in style down at Anglesea with the gang. A fun trip!

Saw Wicked for the 3rd time, and our first time right up close.

Still working on my new diet/exercise plan…as change in diet and a proper routine of walking worked well.

Saw Billy Elliot the Musical – very entertaining, but did not have the repeat-ability quality of Wicked.



February

Not a lot to note, mostly working very little, and waiting for uni to start back again.




March

Back to uni, four days a week. 5 subjects including careers.

Saw Wicked for the 4th time.

Had my usual March blues (everybody has a birthday but me)



April

Melbourne saw a cold streak…a lot chillier than we were used to.

Not much else going on…uni and Easter




May

Spent most of the month whinging about not being able to see 9 to 5 and Guys and Dolls in New York

The rest of the time was spent finishing up uni work, and whinging about Wicked moving to Sydney

Ness and I went to see The Sound of Music Sing-A-Long at the Arts Centre….oh boy we kinda wished we hadn’t…and will forever be thinking we could have been watching a REALLY good WW episode instead :P




June

Finished my penultimate semester of Uni.

Saw Wicked for the 5th time, for Ness’ birthday.

Got my very own West Wing set…oh boy what did we start?!

This month saw the craziness that is Twitter enter my world…I blame Matthew Perry for that one (Kristin is totally off the hook :P), a brand new way to stalk/keep tabs on some of my favourite people

Achieved one of my goals – finding Piccadilly Jim, and Amber Frey: Witness for the prosecution….they were not GOOD movies…but that was never the point :P




July

Saw our first non-Wicked group musical for 2009, Jersey Boys. We just happened to walk past the cast signing autographs at the stage door on our way out, and had to get ours signed too.

Saw Avenue Q with the boys. A source of much amusement…and I would like to point out that I saw 2 musicals in one month….NEITHER of which were Wicked..aww.

Marked the 1 year anniversary of our Wicked obsession and our Kristin obsession.

My family got our very first Big/Flat/Widescreen TV….totally awesome. It took up the entire backseat, but it’s been so much fun to be able to see the movies without being squished into our old tiny screen.




August

Saw Wicked for the 6th and final time in Melbourne, at the very last show in Melb. It was awesome and the event of a lifetime!

Started my final semester of Uni….ever.

Started my Josh and Donna fanvid….took a lot longer to finish than I thought it would!




September

Saw Chicago, and got our programs signed by Sharon and Gina.

Somehow wound up watching The Emmys 3 times in the one week….but SO good. Yay Kristin!

Mum went to Europe, so I enjoyed having the car all to myself for 2 weeks.




October

October marked a year since our WW obsession started, for which we were never the same.

Went to see the Rob Guest Endowment concert.

Got my hair done –I always feel better as a blonde. lol

Went to Sydney with Ness and Brett….saw Wicked for the 7th (and quite possibly the best time) and meet with the cast at the stage door. One of the highlights, not just for the year…but EVER. It’s not often that I get a chance meet and chat with one of ‘my people’.



November

Finished up Uni classes and assignments for the last time. So exciting and scary at the same time!

Saw a heatwave in Melbourne….great weather for working on assignments…not

Partied it up (sorta) for my birthday.



December

Went to my cousin Kate and Ged’s engagement party. - one more family wedding to go to in a few years time.

Got my wisdom teeth out on the 11th, spent the next few days recovering.

Got my final uni results, 1 distinction, 2 credits, and a pass….not bad. Woot woot I can graduate now!!!!!!!!!!

Had a few trips out looking at Xmas lights.

Finished my WW vid. - it took a long time and a lot of work, but I think I achieved what I set out to.

Went to see The Nutcracker ballet, wasn’t too bad.

Usual Christmas day activities, including both my Grandparents coming to our house Christmas night – it was great for my Grandma to get out of the house.

Celebrated New Years watching SNL with Jacinta, enjoying the storm, and having the whole house to ourselves. Not a bad way to end the year.



Overall this year has been hard, cause I wasn’t working much at all. My savings as a result took a huge hit…but hopefully I’ll get a real job soon and will get back on track for the big trip in 2010. It’s about time!

This past year saw 4 new musicals in addition to Wicked. I think I cut back on movies as a result, but I did catch a few this year.
Yes Man
He’s Just Not That Into You
Role Models
Last Chance Harvey
The Invention of Lying
2012
Sherlock Holmes
…I thought there was more….I’ve only seen 7 movies all year?! That’s pathetic!
-Note to self…see more movies next year….wait, no…save the money for the US trip!



This past year I discovered/found new love for some TV shows. There is no longer a slow TV time anymore, there are too many shows starting at different times of the year, and with downloading there is always something to watch.

Here are some new shows I found this year (or near the end of last year).
-In Plain Sight
-30Rock
-Mad Men
-Nurse Jackie
-Better Off Ted
-Weeds
-The Good Wife
-Parks and Recreation
-Modern Family
-Cougar Town
-Glee
-SNL (to a certain degree I guess also)
Some I like more than others. Some I LOVE to death and have sparked new obsessions (not quite as bad as TWW, but close).



In conclusion, this past year has been quiet eventful, but perhaps not as eventful as the previous year. But I am officially dubbing 2009 the year of Musicals.

Lets see how 2010 plays out!

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Carlie