A smattering of thoughts

I spend all day with a 3-year-old and a baby, and lately my social life has been nearly non-existent, so I have had very little practice with the social skills, plus my brain power is nearly kaput because of an overdose of the Disney channel. This is entirely my fault. Well, mostly. I couldn't help that both my kids got sick, and as soon as it was looking like we were back in business, I got sick. That was a bit out of my control. On top of that, every time I start a book that requires even the smallest amount of focus, I get bored with it and have an overwhelming desire to read the Georgia Nicholson books (they're fab, British, and very silly, but not very thought-provoking). As a result, I have found myself walking away from every conversation I've had with an adult feeling like a complete idiot. I think in the course of three weeks I have probably offended and alienated every friend or chance of a friend I may have had. Nice work, Rach. So, if you are one of those people, I'm sorry. My brain is mush and I'm on very little sleep. I didn't have the best social skills to start with, but in this condition they are disastrously lacking. Okay. Now that I have apologized, I have a request. Please tell me, how do you stay sane when you're stuck with sick little kids and you can't get out much? I love going out and having fun, but it doesn't really seem in the cards right now. What are some other options?

On another subject, I have been meaning to address the issue of Twilight for quite some time. I did a review of it a while back (Rachel K, thanks for the tutorial on doing those fancy links to other posts). I believe my review was favorable-ish. I commented on how annoyingly bad the effects were, and how caky Dr. Cullen's make-up was, and how overly red Edward's lips were, right? I also mentioned that Rob Pattinson was absolutely not the right man for Edward's role. After multiple viewings, I'd like to amend my review (Karina, you were right). Yes, all those things were wrong with the movie, but on the small screen they were barely noticeable. I watched it with my husband, and was on the edge of my seat, just waiting to point out Dr. Cullen's bad make-up, but when it got to that scene, it just didn't seem that bad anymore. Same with Edward's lips. The effects were still bad, and Tim did laugh with me at the tree-climbing scene, but I got over it quickly because I was enjoying the movie so much. After 3 viewings, Pattinson seemed more and more right for the role. I think it was kind of like when Smallville came out, and, as hot as Tom Welling was as Clark Kent, he wasn't Dean Cain (I loved Lois and Clark). After a few episodes, I got over it, and now Tom Welling is just fine as Superman. Of course, no one can replace Christopher Reeve. But I digress. I had a completely different mental picture of Edward from reading the books. It was cemented into my brain, and I was stubbornly sticking to that image. But you can't deny the appeal in the brooding, serious version Pattinson portrays. My mom compared him with James Dean, and I think that's when I was won over. I am convinced that a low budget movie like this is meant for the small screen. So, if you haven't seen it yet (Rachel K), rent it, watch it 4 times, and then form an opinion. Then tell me what you think! If you have seen it, didn't like it the first time, and haven't watched it again, rent it, watch it 4 times, and tell me what you think. And buy the soundtrack and listen to it with the volume way up. It's awesome.

Wicked Awesome

I finally have something interesting to blog about! Tim and I finally left the house! Without the kids! I happened to be in the right place at the right time, and was lucky enough to buy tickets to Wicked from a friend whose family vacation interfered with her tickets. (Thanks again, Jackie.) This was a big deal, because it's not every day that a bigtime musical like Wicked lands in Salt Lake City, and tickets were sold out so fast that I didn't even have time to check the bank account to see if we could afford to go. So I snatched up the chance and the tickets, and Tim and I went on a real date for the first time in ages. As soon as I had the tickets in my hands (actually, stashed very safely in a place little grubby hands couldn't find them), I downloaded the soundtrack and listened to the music daily in preparation, and encouraged Tim to do the same.

I'm not sure if it was the fact that it had been years since my last real musical experience, or if it was that the kids weren't with us for the first time in a year. Maybe it was just the combination of fabulous costumes, exciting music, and pumped up crowd at the theater, but I found myself struggling not to cry at the end of every big number. I had heard the music before, and I knew the basics of most of the story, but experiencing the musical up close with a live orchestra made it so much better. When I saw Les Miserables at the Capitol Theatre I think I had a similar experience, except that I was on the back row of the balcony behind a pillar. The Capitol is a smaller theater, so even on the balcony you still get a fabulous experience, but this time we were on the floor, close enough to know what the actors' faces actually looked like and never having to strain to see or hear anything that was happening.

Without giving too much away (I'm guessing everyone will eventually see this musical, and you know a movie version will show up in a few years), let me give you a quick rundown. Wicked is the story of the Wizard of Oz from the Wicked Witch of the West's point of view. It explains why she's green, why she cares about those silly ruby slippers so much, and why she's so darn bitter and angry. You find out her history with Glinda the Good Witch, and what's going on with the talking lion and Dorothy's other pals. To me, no matter how good the music is, if the story's lame, it's a waste of good music. This was no waste. Great story!

I love love love the music. When I was listening to it on my ipod, there were certain songs I didn't really get. When they were put into context in the theater, they were powerful and moving. My favorite musical moments from the musical were Popular (hilarious!), Defying Gravity (my mom tells me all her students want to learn that one--it's even better once you see it on stage with the costumes and cool staging), No Good Deed (that when I let the tears start falling), and Changed for Good (I was trying not to sob openly). The orchestra was awesome, and all but keyboard and rhythm was done by local musicians. Go locals! The singers were also excellent. We got the understudy for Glinda, but she was still quite impressive. The girl singing Elpheba was incredible. She was powerful and I thought her acting was also very good. Fiyero had a great voice, but his acting seemed a little stiff. The rest of the cast was great. The music did not sound easy to learn, and the ensemble was tight and in tune (hooray!).

I took my husband, who had never been to a musical before. That was the real test. Would he like it? Well, the next day when we were driving to Salt Lake for an Easter party, he asked me to turn on the Wicked soundtrack. It passed the test. I think the combination of a great story and really wonderful music on a colorful and interesting stage makes it accessible to everyone, even musical newbies.

On a completely different subject, what has happened to all the jelly beans? I looked and looked and found one bag after 3 stores! Does anyone else think it is a travesty that no one's selling the Starburst jelly beans anymore?