Next to Fabulous!

"You just gotta see it!" If you like theater, this is the only thing that best describes how I feel about this show. I was fortunate to be invited to a free viewing on "press night" for the new production of Next to Normal playing at Arena Stage in Crystal City. I knew nothing about the show, but, hey.........free theater is free theater, right? Let me just say that Next to Normal is nothing but next to fabulous.

In this darkly funny musical, two suburban parents explore how far they will go to keep themselves sane in an over-stimulated and over-medicated world. Next to Normal has just finished a successful run in New York, delighting audiences with its provocative lyrics and exciting musical score.

The set is simple, but very stimulating. The music (both instumental and vocal) is overwhelming, and the acting...........well, let's just say the acting is pure genius. At the end, you are completely compelled to stand and applaud and applaud......and applaud. It's that good.

The Washington Times says, "Truly the go-to show of the winter season."

The Washington Post says, "A moving, blisteringly honest, and inordinately powerful new musical."

Next to Normal is here for a short time until January 18, so go and see it.....you won't be disappointed. It's playing at the temporary home in Crystal City, so it's right at the red-line Crystal City metro stop. You don't even have to go outside! Why go to Broadway when it's right here in your backyard?

Next to Normal, it's simply next to fabulous!

White Christmas

This image says it all! I'm surely experiencing a white Christmas with 2 feet of snow in Spokane. Happy Holidays!

New Look & Feel.........Great Appeal!

Well, after a great weekend of concerts, GMCW also successfully launched a new look and feel for our organization.....starting with our webiste. We have a new logo and tagline that speaks volumes about who we are.

I invite you to watch a short 1:30 video on youtube about our new looks at:

Logo explained on YouTube

Also, see it in action on our newly designed website at:

www.gmcw.org

AND, if you have any comments either from the concert, or about our new look and feel, please provide them online at:

Provide Your Comments

Thanks for your support this holiday season. We look forward to wowing you in 2009!

Baby, It's GAY Outside!

Yes, it's that time of year again.........time to kick the holidays off right with the men from GMCW! It's our Holiday Extravaganza entitled, Baby, It's GAY Outside. Come and join us for one of three fanastic performances this weekend, and don't forget an unwrapped toy to donate. Don't be the only one who misses this festive event!

See a preview of Baby, It's GAY Outside!

See you at the show!

My Road to Wellness - Part 1

The road to wellness starts with a giant leap. Since snapping my achilles tendon and injuring my back (resulting in 2 herniated discs), my overall physical fitness level has declined......and thus, so has my self confidence and internal happiness. It's been a real struggle to see the almost 30 extra pounds that I have accumulated reap havoc on my body and appearance. I am hoping to continue my dedication to my road to wellnes by blogging about it. Just the idea that one person might read my progress (or lack there of, *gulp*) is very motivating to me. So, with that, I'll be periodically sharing my progress on my blog.

We (Brad and I) have recently hired a personal trainer to help jump start our road to wellness. Brian's technique uses multiple moves to work different muscle groups, while also improving the strength of your core. This is exactly what I needed! In order to combat my daily back pain, I know I need to focus on my core muscles to help strengthen my back. After just 3 sessions, I can actually feel it helping.....my back doesn't ache as much. Now, I don't know if this is because everything else is aching, but I'd like to think not.

I've never been motivate to lift weights or work out beyond just doing cardio. So, it's no surprise that these workouts are kicking my ass. They are very difficult, but have been very rewarding thus far. We work out with Brian on Tuesday and Friday evenings, so usually we are dying on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. :) We have the convenience of working out in the gym in our building, so we have no excuse!

I have an overall weight goal of losing roughly 30 pounds. So far, only one has been shed, but it's a move in the right direction though. We are taking a vacation in March, so I'm hoping to have dropped 12-15 pounds by then so I can actually enjoy laying on the beach in St. Thomas. AND, be able to wear about 15 pairs of pants in my closet that I currently cannot wear......talk about expanding your wardrobe!

Hopefully you enjoy this journey with me.......my road to wellness.

My New Pet Peeve

Okay, today was a breakthrough day. I have discovered my new pet peeve. My long standing peeve has always been and will always be slow people in the salad bar line. However, this ranks right up there.

Are you ready???? Okay, people who take the elevator to go down one floor about send my nerves through the roof! I mean, are you kidding me? Today, I was taking our elevator down to the lobby in our building on my way to work. I was a little late, so I was in a little bit of a hurry I suppose. I was the last one on and everyone was going down to the lobby as well. So, the elevator starts moving and stops on the 1st floor.

Okay, I'm processing that the button was not pushed while I was in the elevator, so it was clearly someone getting on, rather than getting off. Two things popped into my head: 1) either this person better be on crutches or old, or 2) going down to the lower garage level.

A lovely little lady gets on the elevator. Hmmmmm, she appears healthy.....totally fit for walking down a flight of stairs.......yes, she must be going to the garage level. Sure shootin', wouldn't you know it that the hag got off on the lobby level?

What the hell? The stairwell is right next to the elevator, and Miss Princess decides that she needs to stop the elevator full of people because she needs to go down one floor. The nerve! ;) It just kind of speaks volumes about our society though. Everyone's always looking for the easy way out. Or we are looking for ways to just be plain ol' laaaaaaaaaaazy.

Do I always take the stairs? Ummmm, no. But, I sure as hell would not be caught dead taking an elevator one floor..........how embarrassing!

What do you guys think? Am I just crazy?

Bathroom Etiquette

My SVP recently shared with me a bathroom experience at work today that he said, "You should blog about this." Okay, so, here I am.....blogging away!

Apparently, he was walking into the bathroom just as a gentleman (we'll call him Rick for the purpose of this story) was walking out. The door to the bathroom swung in just as Rick was about to grab the handle. Well, Rick is apparently one of those freaks that can't stand to touch the door handle of a bathroom. So, instead, he uses a paper towel to grab the door handle.

Anyway, I guess Rick got so freaked out that he raised his hands out of the way with a slight shriek and practically slinked past my SVP ensure he was nowhere close to touching the door. Odd, huh? Well, think again. I walk into the bathroom several times to find a used paper towel left on the handle of the door because someone used it to escape the "germ infested bathroom".

I mean, are you kidding me? Those bathrooms are probably 50 times cleaner than our own bathrooms. They are cleaned and disinfected everyday. Our company even provides an automatic dispenser of anti-bacteria hand goo that you can use as you are exiting the door.

Rick is probably the same guy that uses the paper towel for the bathroom handle, but then uses the handrail to go down the stairs to the cafeteria......touched by hundreds of people a day. Make sense? NOT!

People, our bodies are designed to deal with these kind of germs. For some reason, we are being led to believe that everything is infested with harmful germs and we need to take every precaution to protect our bodies of these germs. pee-shaw! Not that I'm going to advocate the you go licking on bathroom floors and all.....but as long as you wash your hands, and, if you must, use hand sanitizer....everyone should be just fine.

Which brings open an even wider issue: bathroom etiquette at work

Rule the First: No Business in the Bathroom
That's right, you heard it here. Do not, under any circumstances, be you man or woman, conduct any business in the bathroom. At best, participants will be distracted. More likely, they will be so busy trying to ignore you and focus on the task at hand that it's an awkward waste of time. At worst, you are going to offend some client and blow that multi-million dollar deal. So leave the business to the boardroom and/or golf course.

Rule the Second: Wash Your Hands
You know what's worse than seeing some stranger in a public bathroom leave without washing their hands? Seeing somebody you work with do the same. Because now you get to spend the whole day wondering what they are touching with their filthy, disgusting, germ-ridden hands, and hoping it's not on your desk. I really don't know why we have to keep talking about this rule, but given the number of socially inept non-washers I see at work on a day-to-day basis people still aren't getting the message.

Rule the Third: Don't Lie in Wait
Okay, so you need to do a #2. In some cases, you might stand around a full bathroom waiting for a stall to open up, but at work you shouldn't. Nobody likes to feel pressured, so give your coworkers some space, go back to your desk, and try again later (or try another bathroom). Even if the person currently doing their business isn't aware of your presence, they are still going to feel awkward when they come out of the stall and realize you've been timing just how long they've been in there. So save them the embarrassment.

Rule the Fourth: Everyone is Equal in the Eyes of the Bathroom
So you're the boss. Maybe you're even the boss' boss. Doesn't matter a whit in the bathroom, you've still got to follow the rules. Don't start up any business, don't expect to cut to the head of any lines, and for goodness sakes yes you do have to wash your hands or flush. Being numero uno doesn't give you any special privileges whatsoever.

Rule the Fifth: Keep Down the Stink
Your bathroom at home probably has a fan, and I bet you put it to good use. Your bathroom at work probably doesn't though, which means that everybody else in there with you and after you can smell what's going on. If you think it might be an especially stinky trip, consider a courtesy flush. People will thank you.

Special Tip: Dealing with those who Outrank you
Maybe your boss was clever, came here, read these rules and is acting like he should in the bathroom. Then again, maybe he's not. Maybe he keeps trying to strike up a conversation with you at the urinal, while all your instincts tell you to stare straight ahead and ignore them. I feel the need to warn you that following proper bathroom etiquette rules in the context of such an ignorant boss may jeopardize your job, or at least your standing. Yeah, it sucks but the boss might not care if you are ignoring him because you are in the middle of taking a pee, all he knows is you are ignoring him. So try to strike a healthy balance, don't tell him to "piss off!" (clever pun!), but don't linger and chat either.

Now that you know the rules, you should be all set. Good luck in there!

HSM3

okay, so i finally did it. i went to go see High School Musical 3 at the silver spring theater complex. brad and some of his co-workers organized an evening last night to all go and see the new phenom.

the movie started at 7:10pm, but i didn't get their until almost 8pm because i left work a little late and still needed to get home, walk the dog, cram something down my throat and get to the theater. oh yah, did i mention that it was raining and traffic sucked the big-one? yah, it did.

anway, we walked into the theater and expected to have to rumage through hundreds of teenagers there to see the flick. well, to our suprise, there was like 15 people total in the entire theater. i was actually quite shocked, even for a monday night.

now onto the movie. i can't necessarily say it was any worse than the other two, but i can't say it was any better either. it was just really more of the same. i mean, what more really could they do with the story line since none of them can drink, smoke or have sex. if fact, it was a big deal that troy and gabriella actually locked lips.........for a good while. ahhhhhhhhh! my virgin eyes!!!!

anyway, i'm sure it'll be a smash hit for all those "boppers" who loved the first one and are total fans. it'll prove to be a good night on the town for them and their parents, if they join. it was good clean fun.

How Did Palin Do That?

well, hopefully most of you watched the vice presidential debate last night. i did.......no matter how you look at it, it's still marking an important piece of history.

joe biden said it best, "this is the most important election of our time". at least, i think that was his quote. regardless, it's true! i encourage everyone to keep researching, keep talking, keep watching, and keep asking questions. everyone needs to make an informed decision when it's time to vote.

now, onto the debate. i just want to say that i was actually surprised how well gov. palin actually did. however, i have learned how she did so well........if you view this chart, you'll see how she tracked her way through each question. brilliant, if you ask me. :)

maybe i could use this strategy in some of my meetings i'm in at work.

Happy Birthday To Me

well, today is the day that i celebrate my ejection from my mom's womb. my birth. wow, can't believe it's been 37 years ago. good grief! where has all the time gone? i remember being a kid and thinking my aunt and uncle were so old because i knew they were in their 30's.

with the whooosh of years passing me by, i stop today to reflect on all of the good things that have happened in my life. my friends, my family, my dog, my home, my faith, my company, and my espresso machine. WORD! i truly have so many things to be thankful for.

true, i would also love to be back in spokane, wa celebrating this day with my family........it's been about 13 years since i've done that, but i truly wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now....with my loved ones right here in this spot.

ahhhhhhhhhhhh, i've got it good. when you're birthday comes around......take the time to reflect and be thankful for all that you have and don't give any thought to that new number attached to your birthday.......it's just another year of blessings in your belt.

much love!

A Good Stiff One

Pfizer Announcement:

Pfizer Corp. announced today that Viagra will soon be available in liquid form, and will be marketed by Pepsi Cola as a power beverage suitable for use as a mixer. It will now be possible for a man to literally pour himself a stiff one. Obviously we can no longer call this a soft drink, and it gives new meaning to the names of 'cocktails', 'highballs' and just a good old-fashioned 'stiff drink'. Pepsi will market the new concoction by the name of: MOUNT & DO.

Thought for the day: There is more money being spent on breast implants and Viagra today than on Alzheimer's research. This means that by 2040, there should be a large elderly population with perky boobs and huge erections and absolutely no recollection of what to do with them.

Toasted Coconut Dream Cake

Many of you have asked for the recipe that I use for my Toasted Coconut Dream Cake. Well, here it is. If you make it, let me know how it turns out. It's sure to be a crowd pleaser!

Ingredients:

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 (3.5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

1 1/3 cups water

4 eggs

1/4 cup vegetable oil

4 cups flaked coconut

1 cup finely chopped walnuts

4 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons milk

3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar(powdered sugar)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 8 or 9 inch round cake pans.

2) Blend the cake mix, pudding mix, water, eggs and oil in a large mixing bowl. Beat at medium speed for 4 minutes. Stir in 2 cups of the coconut and the chopped walnuts. Pour the batter into the prepared pans.

3) Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 minutes. Let cakes cool in pans for 15 minutes then remove and finish cooling on rack.

4) To Make Frosting: Melt 2 tbsp of the butter or margarine in a skillet. Add the 2 cups flaked coconut and stir constantly over low heat until golden brown. (about 30-45 mins) Spread coconut on absorbent paper to cool.

5) Cream the remaining 2 tablespoons butter or margarine with the cream cheese. Add the milk and confectioners' sugar alternately, beating well. Add the vanilla and stir in 1 3/4 cups of the toasted coconut. (you can double the frosting recipe to ensure enough frosting)

6) To Assemble Cake: Spread tops of cooled cake layers with some of the frosting. Stack them and then frost the sides of the cake. Sprinkle Cake with the remaining toasted coconut. You can stick in the refridgerator for 30-60 mins to firm up the frosting before cutting if desired.

ENJOY!