hehehehe....

I love him because he's brilliant...among other things...


who could not respect the man? alan rickman is
brilliant: subtle, sonorous, and commanding.
he is also incredibly decent and socially
conscious. the cream of the cream. if you
were queen, mr. rickman would be sir alan in no
time.

why are you obsessed with alan rickman?
brought to you by

You're Juliet Capulet from Romeo and Juliet by
Shakespeare! Rapatious, love-starved and
tragic, you are determined to get your man!

Which Heroine of Classic Literature are you?
brought to you by

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Rockford, baby!!!

Couldn't be "Vegas, baby", because I wasn't there. :( But I really didn't care, because I got to go to Rockford!!!! On with my review...I don't really know what to write, because it was just so amazing. I feel like a traitor saying it was the best night of my life, because Chicago was when I fell in love with him, and Milwaukee was just so special. But it really was pretty darn close. And it wasn't just the concert, either.

As my last entry attested, I didn't find out I was going until Monday night. So after going all Col. Brandon for two days (the part where Marianne is sick and he's going "Give me an occupation or surely I will go mad" thing...hot scene in the movie...moving on...) it was finally Wednesday. But even then I didn't have the tickets until five thirty that night, which caused me to hyperventillate almost all afternoon.Whatever. Once we had our tickets I calmed down a little bit, and we drove over to the center to pick up my mom's ticket at the box office. I was tired and cramped from driving for so many hours, so I decided to go in with here. So we're standing in the box office thingy and she's buying her ticket, and all of a sudden I hear "Per Te". I almsot passed out. I just stood there against this window wall thingy (sorry about the prints, people!!) and listened to Josh rehearse until this woman comes in and very casually says "oh, you can see him if you go around the side". So I tore out of there so fast and ended up almost breaking my ankle, but we found this little door that you could look down through and see the stage---and Josh!!! He was doing part of RWIR and the drum solo on Canto (*thud*). And he was wearing these cute little glasses and hoodie!!! *squee* It wasn't a fantastic view, because we were outside, but I did get to him rehearse the drums---I can die now...

The concert was absolutely breathtaking. He hit every single note- there wasn't one that I could tell he was even a little bit shaky on. Oceano was perfect, as was Per Te, and Mi Mancherai (one of my favorites). I first saw him in Chicago last summer, and, while he was adorable and quite funny (I know I wouldn't be that good onstage), he was still kind of shy. Then in Milwaukee, the change was dramatic- he was way more sure of himself and everything. I think the fact that he was so nervous in Milwaukee kind of made him more shy. But last night he was absolutely hilarious! I don't remember exactly what he was saying, but I know I was laughing a lot. He "mooned" a camera in the front row and then started singing the eBay song, and somebody gave him a bunny that said "Some-bunny loves you", which he held up to the microphone and replied "Somebody loves you too. And somebody loves the chocolate you have on your back. Someobody will be eating that later." He said it in this really cute voice. A woman ran up to the stage for a hug, and after he hugged her, he pretended to slick back his hair, which was adorable. Two girls asked him to come to the prom, and then he got down on one knee and hugged them before asking the date and time-I want to go to the prom with Josh!!! He said something like "Well, the tour ends tomorrow night, so, you know, we're looking for things- like proms- to do! I'll fuel the jet" I did kind of seem like he had to be reminded that he was supposed to be singing, which was probably why the show lasted over two hours. Hey, I'll sit and listen to him talk for days!!! Canto was beautiful, he played the drums so well! I'm so glad he does that- it really makes the concert that much more fun! He totally rocked My December, and Mi Morena (I love how he just sits there and sings) and Vincent. He was really funny introducing Caruso, saying something like "I didn't know what it meant then- because it was really fast, and in Italian, and I was four...". He sang it really well, too. RWIR was perfect- that's my all-time favorite song---it was so moving *tear* YRMU was gorgeous and moving as always, the choir was fantastic and Josh hit every single note. And he did both encores, which was great. Never Let Go is another one of my favorites (mainly because he sang it to me in Chicago. Well, not really sang, but pointed at me during it. Okay, and it was like me and the hundred people around me, but whatever. Let me dream, okay???) America was simple and perfect, as always.

Oh, and he did Broken Vow, which I'd never seen him perform live before. Again, he was really funny before hand, telling all the people who were there with someone special ("Spouses? Lovers? Friends with benefits? I don't know what you kids do today...") to chill out for a minute or make out or something and dedicated the song to everybody who was alone. It was beautiful.I'm trying to think what else happened. A couple of girls threw a thong up on stage, which he kind of blushed at and gave to Zachery and was really cute about. Oh, and I think he's really a California boy at heart, because he kept talking about how cold it was and how that makes you never want to shave, ever. (I guess that accounts for the cute little scruff he was sporting so amazingly!!!)

And the aboslute perfect end to the evening was that we were able to stand out by the baricade, and I was two feet away from him as he was signing autographs, and I saw the texture of the curls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *thud* I can die now... I didn't get an autograph, because he was almost done by the time I could get a pen, and the security guard was right in front of me, but it was still so cool!!! And he had the glasses. Loving the glasses. It was a great night. I had fifth row tickets slightly to the left- perfect, really. I'm not delusional enough to think that he was looking at me, but there were a couple of times that he did look in my general direction, I think there was eye contact once...*thud* he's got great eyes... The clothes were good---including the jeans that my mother made me promise not to say anything inappropriate about. hehehe...didn't get any good pics during the concert, but Imladris got a really good one from afterwards as he was signing autographs. She probably has it on her blog. All in all---a perfect night. Well, no, that's not entirely true, because Josh didn't meet me and fall madly in love or anything. And we couldn't sit with my mom, but it was still pretty good. Great end to the Closer tour!!!!

I'm Going to Rockford!!! Yeah!!!

Yes, it's true- I'm going to see Josh again!!!! God bless whoever thought up eBay!!! I'm forever indebted to them---they got me to Chicago last summer, too. Albeit with more notice- I didn't find out about this until Monday night. And let me tell you, waiting around for information when you think you're going to see quite possibly your favorite person in the world in forty-eight hours but you're not sure, so you can't really be excited, but you also can't help but get your hopes up is NOT FUN! It's a very confusing time, emotionally!!! And it didn't help that I had a ton of homework. I got through like 90% of it, but then I started blanking out during this biology thing that I had to do, and figured that I should just stop rather than put down bad answers (see, I am a good student! Ha!). Then I tried to read for awhile, but instead of Anna Karenina and Count Vronsky, I kept seeing Josh and I- except that I wasn't committing adultery- eww. Apparently, that didn't work. So I figured that maybe nineteenth century Russian lit might be a tad heavy when about 95% of my brain was on something else, but I couldn't even concentrate on the newspaper!!! It was like "Where's Lebannon?" So I finally just cleaned the house for lack of something better to do. I figured it would take my mind off of it, and it might tire me out enough that I could sit still for long enough to watch TV or something, and we need the house clean before the weekend, anyway. I guess it worked, because by the time I'd scrubbed the kitchen floor, dusted the entire downstairs and most of the upstairs and cleaned a couple of bathrooms, I was pretty tired and calm. It's weird, whenever I get nervous I clean, but I hate cleaning. Strange. So yeah, I pretty much just bounced around the house until I found out for sure tha we could get these tickets. And they're really good! I'm so freakin' happy for me!!!! :) Yay!!!! I actually had the Rockford concert labeled on my calender, even though I wasn't going, because I'd always kind of had a feeling about it. Ooooh, I'll be seeing him in ten hours and twenty minutes! *thud* Hope it doesn't snow...

Thank God, my history prof let us out early this morning, because there was only so much time I could spend writing about the Spanish conquests when my beloved Joshie was almost in Rockford, and I would be too in a few hours! *hyperventillates* Thankfully, I only had to suffer through a half hour of that. I'm want to just skip the next couple classes and just go home and listen to Josh! Nobody else is going to show up, anyway, because everybody ditches the few classes before Easter break (which should be longer. Grrr.). I think I should just go home...no, no, must be good student...(Please excuse that little bit of internal dialogue. Thank you! ;))

One bad thing- I don't get to sit with my mom this time. We were separated in Chicago, but our seats were next to each other in Milwaukee, and that was really great! But she's got a ticket, and will at least be able to see us, so I guess it's okay... :(

Crap, I'm late for my next class---darn. But I don't care, because I'M GOING TO ROCKFORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Free Half Hour

Praise be to God! We had a quiz in political science and we could just leave after we finished. So I've got thirty-five minutes before my next class- like as long as my traditional break early this morning. A welcome respite. And it's not like the quiz was even that stressful, because we can use our book and notes, so I didn't even have to study. It's a win-win situation! I love that class! Except for the fact that I have to write a term paper on the "Rise of Communism in Tsarist Russia". Actually, I think that title is misleading, because communism didn't realy rise in tsarist Russia, it rose after the Bolshevik revolution, when the last tsar, Nicholas II and his family were killed in 1918 (although his youngest daughter runs a pastry shop in Rhode Island...). Then communism rose, and stayed until 1991, so I think the prof named the subject incorrectly. It can't be tsarist Russia if there is no tsar, now can it? Either way, it looked like the most intesting option, mainly because the only other subject I could even understand the sufferage in the United States, and I was not going to write a ten page feminist manifesto. I mean I'm happy I can vote and everything, but let's all let it go, okay? And, excuse me, I like to be taken care of! If my husband wants to go and make enough money for me to live in the standard to which I think I should be accustomed (and of course he will, because he will be a Very Important Heart/Thoracic Surgeon...hehehe), then I'd be more than happy to stay home and take care of the kids and make dinner. No, I don't want somebody telling me that I can't get an education, or a job, or do whatever I want, but in the United States that doesn't really happen any more! More women graduate from college than men, and they hold all sorts of high positions in the government and private organizations. The only reason that we haven't had a female President yet is that there hasn't been a qualified candidate up yet. I'm not going to vote for a woman just because she's a woman and supposed "understands my issues" if she's just going to screw up the country. Yeah, that was my roundabout way of saying that I didn't want to write on that topic. :) But tsarist Russia sounds fun- at least it's an interesting time period, and it's not due until the end of the semester, and it's not that long, so I'm not too worried. And I can always ask Imladris for info, because she's like a human encyclopedia when it comes to the tsars. Or the British monarchy. Or any monarchy, when you think about it.
But maybe I won't, because she was being particularly creatively mean this weekend. Lots of little Alan quips. "He can be like a big brother to Dad", "He can eat prunes with your toddlers, because they both have trouble with food", "You'll never have park far away again"...things like that. I know I'm encouraging her, but somebody requested them, and I do think they're funny. Love ya, imladris...although I'm always nice about the guys that you like. I'm like a little angel. ;) Yeah...

Ooooh, less than twenty-four hours until "Finding Neverland" is released on DVD!!!!!! *does snoopy dances* Johnny. In a hot suit. With really good hair. Killer hair. As a lover of children (no, not like that- it's a dramatization...). How great is that???? I think he should just start wearing period clothes all the time, because he looks so good in them. I mean, come on, would anybody really notice? His fashion sense is already quite unique!! Gah, I love him so much!!!

Oh, and Flapfest took place in Vegas on Saturday. Unfortunately, I was not in attendence. (Grrr.), but I heard that it was great. I guess his parents showed up for the meet and greet, and he was really funny throughout the show. The Flappers were going to give him a shirt with just one button on it, but I don't know if they did.

Oh, and I think we should get a llama- I almost laughed and said "It's a Grobanite thing" last night when the vet suggested it (in a rather long, complicated event involving hitting a coratid artery and blood all over- not great).

Hope I didn't fail...

I just took a history test (well, they call it a "quiz", but it counts for like twenty-five percent of my grade or something obscene like that, so I think it should be a test. Hmph.), and I'm not sure how I did. I did okay on the geography, but they changed the capitols on me!!! Isn't Cape Town the capitol of South Africa??? I think so...maybe I need a new map. And then I only knew two things in the historical geography thing, and that was only because of Hotel Rwanda (see, I knew being obsessed with movies would pay off!!!). Thankfully, he pretty much gave us the answers to that part. And then I just guessed on the true/false, but doesn't everybody?? I'm really scared to go see what I got in biology- I'll be happy with a D at this point. Why is this semester so much harder? I don't need this!!!!

On another sad note, it's almost the one-month anniversary of Josh's concert!!! *tear* I want him to come back!!!! Saddness. I miss him. *sniff* And it doesn't help that all the little Grobanites are in Vegas right now at Flapfest. I want to go to Flapfest!!! (that was wailed). I'll post a picture later just to remind me of how wonderful he really is...*sigh*.

I've got to get going before all the seats disappear at my next class, but I thought of another interesting CSI thing. These people are from some of the roughest cities in the country (Las Vegas, Miami, and New York) and they hardly blink in the presence of truly awful stuff (I'm thinking boiled head), but then the thought of a "goth" teenager throws them completely off. "Oh, God no- not the black nail polish!!! Wait, we should go investigate that dead hooker..."

Ciao!!! :-)

Random Question...

What were the French thinking when they decided that snails would be good for dinner? Were the guy drunk or something and saw a snail crawling across the floor and thought "Mmmm. Tasty." (I'm thinking 'mmm...sammich!" lol) ? Sorry, this just struck me...

Thoughts on Vanity Fair and CSI

Okay, we're back...a day late, but whatever. I sincerely doubt that anybody was up waiting for this and it screwed up their week. Heck, I forgot about it until about three minutes ago while I was searching desperately for something- anything- to do that would prevent me from studying nerves and hormones for my test tomorow morning. Yeah, moving on...

So I finished Vanity Fair on Sunday. In fact, I read most of it, because I was so stressed out after spending the better part of the day with my supposed peers (maybe this entry should be titled "Why Teenagers Suck") and I apparently relax by devouring eigh hundred page novels. Whatever. It worked, and I was in a much better mood when I finished. Well, that could have been because we also watch Pirates of the Caribbean, which always perks me up, but I'm sure the book had something to do with it. Anyhoo, I'd seen the movie (go and get it now-fantastic...), and so I had an image of what Rebecca was like, based upon Reese Witherspoon's character. I mean, I knew that she wasn't a typical heroine, but at least she was portrayed somewhat sympathetically. In the book, Becky's really a b*tch. I serious, she really is! I mean, she doesn't appear to have any regrets about making Amelia's life miserable, or cheating on her husband (other than that he refuses to support her anymore) or beating up her little boy. It really is a novel without a hero- Becky's like evil incarnate, Amelia is a simpering fool who is constantly in tears, and Rawdon is kind of thick. Okay, not kind of, really thick. (I'm reminded of The Wedding Date- "Now is not the time to start getting a clue!!!"). I really liked it though- good writing. And I loved Dobbin. He's such a nice, upstanding guy. If Amelia had just gotten with him in the beginning when he bought her the damn piano, her life would have been so much easier!!! Grrr. I hate it when fictional characters don't do what I want them too...

Moving on to our second subject, CSI: Miami was on last night. Old episode, the speed dating one, but it go me thinking about how much I adore the CSI franchise. I love them. As far as I'm concerned, Jerry Bruckheimer is a god (small 'g'- he's not that great ;-)). I mean, POTC and CSI? I'd give him my first born if he asked! But I was reading through some stuff on EW's CSI page and was struck by just how funny a lot of the episodes are. So I decided to come up with a few of my own. Apparently, there are several requirements to become a CSI.
1.) You must be incredibly attractive. Unless you're like the Frank guy on Miami. But even then, his counterpart is Flack on NY, so that kind of throws that theory out the window. Stick with drop dead gorgeous, and you'll get a job.
2.) You must be content to have absolutely no personal life, except during sweeps when they bring in a hot DA of the opposite sex and put you in awkward situations for a few episodes before they realize that viewers don't want to know what they do after they go home, they just want blood (and a boiled head, like last night!!!). And could we please stop having every single entertainment magazine ramble on weekly about how sex-starved Catherine is???? Frankly, I've seen several episodes with Catherine, and she doesn't look that desperate to me. Which brings us to our next point...
3.) You must be comfortable with maggots hopping into your cleavage. I'm serious. Have you ever seen those camisoles that the female CSI's wear? Not to mention that they're totally inappropriate for an office setting, wouldn't you worry about stuff from the dead bodies getting in there? I know I would!
4.) If you're female, you absolutely cannot even own a hair band. Your long, perfectly coiffed hair must be totally free at all times. Even if you're an ME and it's dragging all over the body. Doesn't that contaminate the evidence? "I found a long blond hair...oh wait, this looks like Calleigh's..." I don't think H would appreciate that!!! And Calleigh particularly bugs me. Do you know what my hair would look like if I lived in Miami and didn't pull it back? I'm thinking it would resemble a large, fluffy, red traffic cone. Rather triangular. And her's is perfectly smooth at all times. Annoying...

And then once you're actually a CSI, there are even more rules. Like it's impossible to get shot or harmed in any way unless you're having problems working with David Caruso and then your gun magically misfires and you take one in the chest (i.e. Tim Speedle). Whatever. And do not screw with Horatio Caine! He can even stop a tsunami (don't worry, it aired before the real one, and they haven't repeated it. CBS has some dignity. (See, on Fox, it would have been used as a promotional tool!!!) Why all those pimps and really, really tough guys get scared and spill their entire life story after two seconds alone with a skinny little Irish dude who even uses sunglasses inside I'll never know. But it's very cool. And they have to say "TOD" instead of "time of death" even though it takes exactly the same amount of time to say!!!!!!!! Why does nobody realize this???? Grrr. Oh, and you have to restate blatently obvious things like (upon finding a body lying in a room with blood-soaked walls) "It's possible she hemorraged." No kidding. And it's always two 0'clock in the morning in New York. No matter how much time has passed, it will always be dark. However, despite the fact that they frequently stumble through dark buildings with nothing but their flashlights (even though there are light switches right there!!!) they never sully their lovely trenchcoats. So cute. Finally, all of life's issues can be summed up in an hour (with commercials!!!). It's enough to make you smile!!! :-)

Vanity Fair and My Starkly Insignificant Life

Well, we're back from spring break. Bummer. I don't like this getting up for school thing so much. At least I didn't have a test this morning, like I was supposed to. See, this would have been a problem because I threw my backpack down the second I got home a week ago Friday and didn't look at it again until this morning when I started swearing at it. Yeah, I'm completely normal. We did watch some insipid video in history about Africa, put out by the UN. Now, I love the UN. I think they're great- a fine institution. But I've got to tell you, they failed miserably with this video. The guy running it was (literally) like thirteen years old, and supposedly interviewing all these world leaders and doctors about the AIDs crisis and economic depression in Africa. When the kid is three feet tall and has a lisp (hey, I had one too, so nobody get mad), it loses some of its authority, though. Really, guys. (BTW, Alan is so not older than the UN.)

So, yes, we have returned to normal life. As it turns out, I did end up traveling on spring break, but not to Mexico or any other exotic locale to get drunk or something fun but rather to a landlocked city that cannot even figure out how many lanes of traffic should be going in one direction. We almost got killed twice trying to get to dinner one night- not good. Don't you think that if you're planning a road with six lanes and traffic going both directions, and this road happens to go under a bridge with a large concrete support thing separating the lanes (three on one side, thress on the other), that the lanes would be evenly divided and not have one lane on the other side of the concrete support causing one's mother to freak out and yell "We're heading into oncoming traffic!! We're going to die!" And that was just one of the times. Confusing. And it wasn't even for anything Josh-related, which is the only reason I can think of to drop everything and leave town on a moment's notice. (Nobody listened to me when I suggested a detour to Evansville so we could catch his show on Wednesday. Darn.) Don't get me wrong, I was happy to go, filial duty and all that. Well, actually, that's not correct. Because "filial" refers to a son, and I'm a daughter, and he's not my father, but whatever. Same thing. And I got to catch the press conference about Clinton's heart surgury on Thursday when I was sitting in a waiting room with nothing to do, and I have now discovered (along with Imladris) that heart surgeons are hot. Especially when they have cute little geeky glasses and adorable hair. And no wedding ring (he did just pull his hands out of some guys chest cavity though, so that may have accounted for the lack of jewelry...). I think I need to come up with some medical emergency that requires a visit to a thoracic surgeon in New York. Gonna have to work on this one...

Well, I'm late for class, but I read Vanity Fair yesterday, and I really do have some opinions on it that I'd like to share, so there will be another post when I get back. Ciao!!!

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happiness!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In approximately two hours and seven minutes I will be on spring break!!!! *does snoopy dances* I can't wait!! I mean, I'm not doing anything fun, but it will be a relief to not have anything to do all week. And I can sleep! Yay!! I do wish that it was after Easter, like everybody elses is (swimmergirl and collie, we won't be able to do anything *tear*!! Oh, who am I kidding, school is negotiable!), but it's still good. Yay!! Oh crap, I'm late for class...

As promised...

Killer, huh??? Again, not mine. In fact, all of these pics come from the Grobanites on FOJG.com. But I spend enough time drooling over them!!! (Take a moment and ponder the microphone hands...)

You guys have poisoned me!!!!

Ladies (you know who you are!!!!), you are in big trouble. *death glare* I was innocently sitting in history this morning and listening to God-awful video about the spread of European imperialism to Africa and their colonization of South Africa or some other country around there, and this really boring (I mean, we're talking deadly) British professor dude from the eighties was talking in a dull monotone about how Britain took over South Africa around the turn of the century. And do you know what the first thought that leapt into my mind was? "Wow, that was only like forty years before Alan was born"!!!! *gasp* Do you know what this means???????? I have now started to think of him as old!!!!!! ACK!!! You've poisoned me against my soulmate!!!! Are you happy now????? All this "he's older than the UN" crap is finally getting to me!!!! No, no, I still love him. You can't change that!!!!! Meanwhile, you'd better watch out the next time I see you two!!! *hiss*

(P.S. Found another great Joshie pic---I'll put that up later when I'm on my computor at home. I don't think school would appreciate me downloading a bunch of pictures to their computors...;))

Pic of the Day

First of all, a little disclaimer- this is not my picture, I'm just borrowing it.  But people (okay, just one again) requested that they see it, and this was the easiest way. Now please excuse me while I go have happy fantasies in my head!!! Ciao!!! :)