Tag Archives: Los Angeles

A Weekday Show (or A Pre-Broadway Adventure)

Posted on February 21, 2024 | Comments Off on A Weekday Show (or A Pre-Broadway Adventure)

Since I started getting season tickets for the Pantages, my tickets have been on Sunday evenings. The group that I joined at first previously had done Sunday evenings so when I was added to the group things just stayed the same. And while the group has changed multiple times over the years, we’ve always just kept the shows on Sundays. Even when we’ve had to change the date, they usually stay on Sundays. It’s just easiest to do that and keep the routine the same since that’s what we’ve gotten used to.

I’m sure that there has been another time that I’ve seen a show at the Pantages on a weeknight, I just don’t remember it. So when we had to change our most recent tickets to a weeknight, it felt like something new. We had to change from a Sunday to a weeknight for a few reasons. The show we were seeing was “The Wiz”, and this production was a pre-Broadway run. So the cast was the cast that was expected to be on Broadway, which meant we had some names in the cast when we usually don’t get that. So all the dates were a lot more crowded than normal. So for us to change our date (which we needed to do because of my schedule), we had to search for a night that would have tickets for us together in our section. And we had another friend who was going to join us, so we needed to find 3 seats together. We ended up finding 3 tickets in the last row of the balcony, but it was in the center so they were actually considered a higher level of seating than we normally have. And being in the center was nice since normally we sit off to the side.

Before the show, we met up for dinner at RDen. I’m so glad they reopened so we could return to our pre-show tradition. We had looked at other places to eat before the show, but no other place has good reviews, decent food/prices, or is so close to the theater. It’s honestly the best place I can imagine going for dinner before the show. It was a bit more of a rush for me to get there since I was working before the show, but I made it work and wasn’t late. But I do prefer going on a Sunday when I don’t have to stress as much about rush hour traffic. But once we were all seated for dinner, it wasn’t a rush and we were able to have a nice dinner before going across the street for the show.

I don’t think I’ve seen a pre-Broadway show before. I know others who have but I think they have all seen brand new shows that were doing a tryout before going to Broadway to see if they needed to change the show at all. This time, the show was an established show so I can’t imagine they would make many changes at all. They wouldn’t change the script or the songs, but there were a few moments that I think weren’t as strong as others so I hope those are fixed before their premiere in New York. But the actors were incredible and I thought the actress who played Dorothy was so good! The closing number of the show was so powerful and that had the show end so strong! I think because I’ve seen so many shows over the years, I just notice the little things so the things I picked up on that I hope will be fixed were not things that others would notice. For example, the way the screens were used as a background was awesome in the second act, but I didn’t like how they were used in the first act. But it was still a good show and I’m so glad that we were able to find another night we could go and we were able to bring another friend with us.

The next season for Pantages will be announced in a few days. I can’t imagine that we won’t be renewing our season since my friend and I both agree that we just like having a reason to get out and enjoy theater. We might change where we sit because now we have been able to experience what it’s like when you are closer to the center of the theater. We won’t be doing super close and center tickets since those are out of both of our budgets. But upgrading a bit depending on cost might work.

But before we worry about the next season, we still have a bunch of shows this season! It’s pretty much a show a month from now until August. That’s a lot of nights out to look forward to!

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Default ThumbnailAnother Round Of A Repeat Musical (or Seeing A Show A Different Way) Default ThumbnailBurgers And Broadway (or Another Musical) Default ThumbnailNot Exactly A Musical Night (or Continuing To Be Spoiled With Our Pre-Show Dinners) Default ThumbnailFunko and Frozen (or The Last Pantages Show For A While) Default ThumbnailMore Musicals! (or Another Season At Pantages) Default ThumbnailBroadway Sings Disney (or A Fun Adventure With An Awesome Friend)

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Dinner And A Show (or Back To Seeing Musicals)

Posted on January 17, 2024 | Comments Off on Dinner And A Show (or Back To Seeing Musicals)

When the last season of musicals ended, it felt like it would take so long before the next season would start. But as I’ve said before, time has flown by and it was the new year before we knew it! This current season of musicals is pretty much one show a month through the summer, so I’m really excited about having a lot of fun nights out for over half of the year! I don’t know when the season after this one will start, but maybe that will fill out the rest of the year for us!

And with the start of a new musical season, of course we had to go out for dinner before the show! I was so sad last year when I noticed that Wood & Vine had closed down because that was the perfect place to have dinner before the show. But I was thrilled to see that a new restaurant opened in that space. Now, it’s called RDen and there are a few people from Wood & Vine who are still there. And of course, that’s where we had to go for dinner.

The menu has a lot of new things on it, but there were also a lot of familiar favorites. And as always, the food was gorgeous and delicious!

It was the perfect way to start off the evening and felt like a return to something that makes me so happy! We were so full and stuffed by the time we walked across the street to the theater, but I’m so glad we are able to go back to our favorite spot for a pre-show dinner again.

With every season of musicals that I see, there are some shows I’m more excited about seeing than others. And the first one for this season was one I was a bit more hesitant about.

We saw “MJ The Musical”, which is about Michael Jackson’s life and features his music. I’m not really a Michael Jackson fan. I know he has some amazing songs and he did incredible things for the music industry, but he also was a very problematic person and I can’t ignore some of the things that people said he did. But I always try to go into a show with an open mindset and that’s what I did this time.

And I’m glad I kept an open mind because the show was really good. It didn’t cover a lot of the problems that he had and it did gloss over some things that maybe should have either been discussed or completely skipped over, but overall the show was so well done. And I loved how the show ended. I don’t want to spoil anything, but it was just really good and made me happy with how they were able to wrap everything up.

We also had a very unique experience at the show. Our season tickets this season are in the orchestra, and we don’t plan on moving seats around much if we can help it. But there was an issue with our seats for this show and it was very uncomfortable to be sitting where we were. So during the intermission, we went to the audience services booth to see if they could move us to different seats for the second act. I was joking to my friend that maybe we would be upgraded to better seats, but I expected to be seated in a similar level of seats as our season tickets. To my surprise, my joke came true and we got to watch the second act from the center of the orchestra only about 15 rows back! We could never afford these seats for our season tickets, but now we are tempted to do maybe one level above our current one when we renew our tickets for the next season. I almost hate how much nicer it was to watch the show from the center orchestra and be that close up, but it was a very nice and special treat for us to kick off this season.

As I said, we pretty much have a show every month for the next several months, so we’ll be back before we know it to continue this musical season. And I’m so excited to see the rest of the shows we have coming up, even if they are shows that I’m still a bit unsure of. I proved to myself with this one that I can be very pleasantly surprised and I hope that will happen again!

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Default ThumbnailKicking Off Another Season Of Musicals (or A Really Impressive Start To The Season) Default ThumbnailAnother Round Of A Repeat Musical (or Seeing A Show A Different Way) Default ThumbnailMore Musicals! (or Another Season At Pantages) Default ThumbnailAnd Another Season Of Musicals (or Continuing My LA Tradition) Default ThumbnailAnother Dinner And A Show Night (or Classic Musicals And Yummy Food) Default ThumbnailAll Set For Another Musical Season (or I’m Glad I Can Continue This)

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Almost The End Of The Musical Season (or A Musical For A Legend)

Posted on June 28, 2023 | Comments Off on Almost The End Of The Musical Season (or A Musical For A Legend)

This current season of musicals has had a lot of variety with the types of shows we’ve been seeing. I don’t think the past seasons have necessarily had themes for the full season, but I also don’t think the variety has been as big as it has been. Maybe that’s because one of the shows wasn’t a musical and it seems like some have been less traditional. But I don’t mind the variety at all since I usually enjoy any show that we see.

One type of show we hadn’t had in this season until now was a biographical jukebox musical. It feels like most seasons have at least one of those. We did have a jukebox musical earlier, but it wasn’t the story of that musical artist so it felt different. But as we come toward the end of this current season, the second to last show was a biographical musical. And this time it was the Tina Turner musical.

When this was announced to be a part of the season, I was curious. I know a few Tina Turner songs, but not that many of them. And I wasn’t sure if this would be a case of me not knowing I didn’t know a lot of her songs or if I just wouldn’t know them. I know some of the jukebox musicals I’ve seen before surprised me when I realized I knew almost all of the songs. I figured that I would find out which it was when we got to see the show.

I knew the musical was written before Tina Turner passed away since she only passed about a month ago, but I also had heard that it was a show that honored her life. And I feel that is an accurate description. I didn’t know her story about how she was raised and I only knew the most basic details about some of her personal life and how her first husband was abusive. But I didn’t know the full extent of the abuse such as him controlling her music and how she struggled to become a solo artist. Since her struggles were before I was born, it makes sense that I didn’t know about a lot of her story. And this show did a good job covering a lot of what happened over the course of her career.

And the actress who played Tina was incredible! She was dancing and running around in heels for the entire show. And almost all the songs were crazy high-energy ones so she had a lot she had to do. At the end of the show, we were saying how the show was like multiple cardio workouts, and then we realized this was their second show of the day which made it even crazier! Everyone in the cast had amazing energy throughout the show, which I know can be tough when you do the same show multiple times a week.

I did enjoy the show even if it might not be my favorite jukebox musical I’ve seen. I think not knowing many of the songs hurt my enjoyment since I was paying a lot of attention to the songs to see if I recognized them. And for other shows, as soon as I recognize the song I seem to relax while watching since it’s something familiar. There were a few songs that I did recognize that surprised me, but a majority of the songs were ones I didn’t know. But it was still very fun to get out and see a show.

We’ve got one more show this season in a few weeks and then the next season doesn’t start until January! Maybe there will be a random show or two I end up seeing in the long break between seasons, but I also know that right now it feels like January is far away but it will be here before we know it!

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Default ThumbnailKicking Off Another Season Of Musicals (or A Really Impressive Start To The Season) Default ThumbnailKicking Off A Musical Season (or Seeing A Cartoon Brought To Life) Default ThumbnailAnother Musical Season (or Enjoying A Repeat Musical) Default ThumbnailMoulin Rouge! (or The Last Show Of An Extended Theater Season) Default ThumbnailAll Set For Another Musical Season (or I’m Glad I Can Continue This) Default ThumbnailAlmost The End Of The Musical Season (or Watching An Audience Fall In Love With An Actor)

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Creating Another LA List (or Really Trying To Find Things To Do)

Posted on April 13, 2023 | Comments Off on Creating Another LA List (or Really Trying To Find Things To Do)

I have gone on some really interesting and creative dates over the last several years, but most of the dates I go on have ended up being at the same few locations. It’s fine with me that those first dates are somewhere that I’m comfortable and feel safe, but it can also be a bit of a rut. And this rut isn’t just with my dating life, in my regular life I seem to go to the same places or eat at the same restaurants. It’s not a horrible thing to have this type of rut, but it also can feel sometimes that I’m not taking advantage of the amazing city that I live in.

I recently went on a few dates with a guy who moved to LA at the end of last year, so most things in the city were new to him. We had some really fun phone calls between dates making a list of places that would be fun dates. They weren’t necessarily anything extravagant, one of them was going to a rooftop movie venue, but most of the things on the list were things that I wouldn’t normally think of when I’m thinking of something to do. There were some places that were new to me and some that I had been to before. But they were all things that I was excited to go to.

I’m not seeing that guy anymore, but the idea of the list that we had made has stuck in my brain. I didn’t keep the list that he and I made, so I don’t have all the places we thought of, but I realized that I should make one of my own. I think some places could be good for both dates and hanging out with friends, but I also want to see if I can think of some places that would be better for one thing or another.

This isn’t the first time I’ve had an idea to do something like this, but I haven’t really been good at checking things off of a list that I create. But I think the dates that I went on pushed me to realize how much fun I could have if I make more of an effort to go to places and not just do the same things that I always do. I also feel like there is a sense of LA feeling new to me again since I have been staying home for so long. I know that not everything is safe and I do still have some hesitation as I’ve had for a while, but I also have noticed that as I push myself a bit more I’m getting more comfortable as well. It’s been all about finding a balance between what is fun and what is safe for these last few years, and I think I’ve probably been too timid to push that balance until recently. I don’t regret doing that because I’m very grateful that I haven’t gotten sick, but it’s too easy to stay in this rut.

I also know that I need to push myself to go and hang out with friends more than I do right now. That’s also still a struggle and it’s also tough with how many people have moved away from LA. But I’ve been doing better at making sure I spend time with the friends I do have here and it’s been so nice to take friends who became more like acquaintances into friends again. I know that I will miss my friends who aren’t here, especially when I do something that I would have done with them before. But I’m working on appreciating the people who are still local and also making new friends when I can.

The list that I am working on is just a draft email right now. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s something I can look at when I’m trying to make plans to do something. And it’s not something that has a deadline of when I want to get all of them accomplished, I just want a list that is a reminder of all the amazing things I can go out to do when I am looking for something different from the usual things I do. And hopefully, between friends and dates, I will get more fun things added to the list that I will get to experience with others in the near future.

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Default ThumbnailFeeling Like The Summer Is Slipping Away (or Trying To Make A List Of Things To Do) Default ThumbnailCreating My Bombshell House (or I’m Glad I’m Mom Is Great At Decorating) Default ThumbnailStill Working On Creating Better Habits (or Getting More Prepared For “Normal” Life Again) Default ThumbnailA Perfect Night At The Bowl (or Checking Some Things Off My List) Default ThumbnailGetting Something Checked Off My End Of The Year List (or Mailing Out Some Holiday Cheer) Default ThumbnailHelping A Friend With Their LA Bucket List (or Hot Dogs, Tar Pits, and Ocean Views)

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A Night Of Baseball (or Enjoying The Enthusiasm)

Posted on April 5, 2023 | 1 comment

I haven’t been going out every night, but I feel like I’ve been getting out more and more and I’m feeling less anxious about it. There are still some things that make me a bit hesitant or that I don’t know if I’m fully comfortable with, but I’ve been lucky that I’ve been able to find things that have been fun and feel safe. And last week, I had another adventure that really was awesome.

I was supposed to go on a date to an outdoor rooftop movie thing, but the day before the venue emailed saying they had to cancel the event. They didn’t say why, but it wasn’t a weather thing. But the guy I was supposed to go out with and I still wanted to meet up so we tried to think of something fun to go do. We both thought about it during the day and we said we’d have a phone call after work to figure out our plan. And while I was trying to be inspired and think of fun ideas, I saw something online about how that day was the opening day for the Dodgers, and the next day there would be another game. I looked online at the tickets, and there were quite a few seats left and they weren’t horribly priced. So I added that to my list to discuss when we had our call. And we decided that going to the game would be something fun and since it was outside it would feel a bit safer than being inside with a lot of people.

I haven’t been to too many professional baseball games and it had been several years since the last time I went to see the Dodgers, but I always have fun when I go to the games. As I explain to people who ask me if I like to watch sports, I don’t really care about sports but I love enthusiasm. I think it’s a similar feeling to going to a musical with experiencing something with a group of people who are really excited to be there. And of all sports, I think baseball is probably the one I enjoy watching in person the most. At least I seem to understand the game the most.

When we looked at the ticket options online that evening, I was showing him the options for cheap seats. But he wanted to spend a little more so we could sit a bit closer to the game. I didn’t mind spending a bit more, and the tickets weren’t too expensive. And it ended up not mattering much because he bought the tickets and then didn’t let me pay him back.

The game was an evening game after work, and we got there a little after the game started due to traffic. We got a pretty good parking spot and were in the stadium quickly. We decided to get food before going to our seats but wanted to make sure we knew where our seats were first. And I guess I didn’t quite understand the seating chart because we were much closer to the field than I thought! I thought we were one level higher, but we were so close to the game and really could see the action!

I kept saying how I was so surprised at how close we were because it was just amazing to not be sitting far away. I usually am sitting in the outfield or much higher up. This felt like such a change from how I’ve experienced baseball games in the past.

The game was really fast, partially because of the new pitch clock and partially because there were no runs until almost the end of the game. There was one home run by the Dodgers and the energy of the crowd was truly electric. It was a moment that made me so grateful to be in that crowd that night and reminded me how much I love experiencing events like this.

Unfortunately, the Dodgers lost the game that night. But it was still fun to watch. And most games have some special thing happening, such as a giveaway or fireworks. And after this game, there was a drone show. I’ve seen drone shows on tv before, but never in person. And it was really neat seeing all the different formations they made in the sky above the stadium.

I know I’ve said this before, but I need to be better about doing things like this. Not just for dates that I go on, but with my friends as well. It would be pretty easy to organize going to a game with a friend or two and I think I’ll try to do that sometime this season. It doesn’t have to be too expensive to go if we sit up high and it can be a really nice way to spend an afternoon or evening. And even if we aren’t paying a lot of attention to the game, the energy there is great to be a part of and really helped me feel more connected to my city and others again.

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Default ThumbnailLet’s Go Dodgers (or A Night Out At The Game) Default ThumbnailThe World Series (or I Try Not To Be The Dumb Girl Asking Questions About Sports) Default ThumbnailBeing Socially Anti-Social (or An Observer At Game Night) Default ThumbnailA Night Of Magic (or Not Quite A Musical) Default ThumbnailA Tasting And Theater Night (or Enjoying A Fun Night Out) Default ThumbnailLast Minute Bowl Adventure (or A Very Hot And Humid Night Out)

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Getting Out In The World More (or Enjoying An LA Museum)

Posted on March 23, 2023 | Comments Off on Getting Out In The World More (or Enjoying An LA Museum)

I’ve been saying over and over again that I need to get out more because I’m not being as social as I used to be. I still want to be cautious about where I’m going out since I’ve seen more and more friends get sick recently and I want to avoid that. But there are safer options that allow me to go out and do things but not be around a lot of people. I just haven’t been taking advantage of that. I’m trying to be better about making plans, but it’s not as easy for me as it used to be.

One great excuse I’ve had recently for getting out of my house more has been going on dates. I’m not dating as much as I was before the pandemic, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I’m being a lot pickier about who I meet and I’m also being more upfront about what I’m looking for and my standards. That may scare some guys off or make them not want to meet me, but I don’t mind that since I don’t want to keep wasting time. Even without as many dates as I used to have, I’m still pretty active on dating apps and making the effort to find those guys that I do want to meet up with. And I’m trying to be more flexible about where we meet since I typically go to the same few locations. But as long as the places they suggest are public and will have others around, I know that it should be somewhat safe. I do still give a friend all the information about where I will be, but I’m glad I’m allowing myself to be a bit more open-minded about where a first date might be.

Earlier this week, I had a first date somewhere I’ve never gone on a date and somewhere that I haven’t been in a very long time. LACMA is one of the bigger museums that is near me and I drive past it a lot. One of my first random drives at the start of the pandemic to just get out of my house was to go over by the museum since it’s pretty and I knew it would be a nice drive. I actually don’t remember the last time I had gone inside, but I feel pretty safe saying it’s been at least 10 years. So when the guy I was going to meet up with suggested it, I thought it sounded like a great idea.

We met after work and the museum was pretty empty because it was a member’s only night (and he is a member). It was nice to not feel crowded with a bunch of people and able to take our time looking at the different galleries. And there was a lot of really interesting art.

One of the first exhibits we went to was all about early computer and digital art. Some of the art was about text and some was computer drawings. It was really interesting to see how digital art started out and how it changed so quickly even when technology was still in its infancy. There were also some videos of early computer animation and the different techniques those artists used to make it work. We went through most of the galleries and a lot of the other sections were more traditional collections with paintings and pottery. I know the other galleries had themes to them, but to me I felt like they blended together a bit and I just was having a nice time walking around and looking at the different pieces.

I think I forgot how nice it can be just walking around a museum. I haven’t done that in a long time, way before the pandemic started. And there are so many museum options around LA that I should check out. Most of them are ones I haven’t been to at all, and I should look into when they have free nights or other specials so I can get a list together and not have to worry if I’m having money stress at that time. I know those free nights can be more crowded, but that might be something I just have to force myself to be ok with.

I should be more proactive about going out and doing things on my own, but I’m glad I had a date that got me out of my usual routine and helped me remember that there are so many things in LA that I should be taking advantage of.

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Starting To Be Tired Of The Rain (or This Doesn’t Feel Like LA)

Posted on March 21, 2023 | Comments Off on Starting To Be Tired Of The Rain (or This Doesn’t Feel Like LA)

It feels like it’s been raining forever this year. I know that isn’t necessarily true, but it has been a lot of rain in a short time. Some of this has been a dangerous amount of rain and I’ve been very lucky that where I live hasn’t been in a flood zone. I’ve seen a lot of issues from the rain, but at least it’s not flooding like other locations have had. But even when it’s not dangerous amounts of rain, it’s been raining on and off for quite a while.

I know we need the rain. There’s no question we’ve had a drought for a long time and that this rain is helping to make that not quite as bad. And we should see more positive results from the rain over the summer when the snow melts and we get that water. But even though we need the rain, it’s still frustrating and I’m starting to get tired of this weather.

I have joked for years that the reason I like living in LA is that I want to be able to choose to be in the snow and cold, not be forced into it because I live somewhere that normally gets that weather. And yes, it has snowed randomly in LA this winter, but at least that’s not normal and I didn’t experience it. But even with it just raining, it was a lot of weather that so many people weren’t prepared for.

I really try to stay home when it’s raining. I don’t like to drive too much since so many people aren’t great drivers in the rain. I’m not as good of a driver in the rain either, so it’s not just other people. But because we don’t get rain like this normally, the roads aren’t designed for situations like this. I mainly just drove to my workouts and to the few things I attended, and I always saw flooding on the roads where storm drains couldn’t handle that much water. I would time my errands so I could do them when it wasn’t raining since most of the parking lots aren’t covered and I didn’t want to risk slipping in a puddle or something else.

And I have issues with my hips when it’s raining and those have been continuous for quite some time now. I don’t want to take pain killers every day, so I’ve just been dealing with the pain unless it’s really extreme and preventing me from things that I normally do. But being in pain for weeks at a time isn’t something that I’m used to dealing with since it hasn’t been like that for me for years. And I try to remind myself that this is likely due to the weather and not that there is something worse happening with my body. But it’s still something in the back of my mind. With the pain, I also have been having issues sleeping since I wake up if I move and I’m in pain. And not sleeping well can affect so much in my life and I worked hard on trying to be better about getting enough sleep.

I know that we are supposed to get some more rain this week, but I’m hoping that we are almost at the end of this. I wouldn’t mind it if it was only raining overnight and during the day it was clear or if it was only once or twice a week. But right now, having rain pretty much every day has just felt like a lot and I’m ready to have some more normal LA weather.

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Artios Awards (or A Red Carpet Work Evening)

Posted on March 15, 2023 | 1 comment

I know I’ve written quite a bit about how I feel very lucky with my main current day job. I do work that can vary from day to day, I know my contributions are appreciated, and I make more than I did at past jobs. Plus, most of the people I work with are either actors or used to be actors so they understand needing flexibility and the entertainment industry. I don’t really get to see my co-workers in person since we all work from home, but there is still a collaborative feeling since we are in meetings together quite a bit. I know they are trying to have more in-person events for everyone, but it’s not easy to organize.

The company I work for has been a part of some really awesome events, sometimes it’s because we are running the social media for the event and sometimes we are a sponsor. I haven’t really had a chance to be a part of those events since it’s a different part of the company than where I work, but I still think it’s pretty cool to know we are a part of something big.

But I got a chance to attend something very cool this past week. The company I work for was running the social media for the Artios Awards, which is an award show for casting directors. The company had a table at the event, and there was an extra seat that was offered to me. I had to double-check with my other job to make sure I could switch around my hours and that I had something that was appropriate to wear (I don’t have a lot of excuses to dress fancy and I got rid of a lot of clothes in my move), but I was able to make it work so I could go!

It was held at the Beverly Hilton, which isn’t that far from me and where the last in-person SAG-AFTRA Convention was. Oddly enough, the outfit I decided to wear for the Artios Awards was the same thing I wore to the Convention gala. As soon as I got there, I met up with some co-workers so we could get a few work things done before the event started. We weren’t able to be a part of the official red carpet, but we were allowed to use the step and repeat before the red carpet opened and I was able to get some fun photos.

Once the red carpet started, many of my co-workers were busy with doing tasks, but I was able to hang out with a few people while we waited for the dinner and award show to start. It was the first time I got to hang out with some of these co-workers, so it was nice to get to know them outside of a Zoom screen.

And when we got inside for dinner, we had a table very close to the front of the stage.

The dinner was before the show started, so we didn’t have to split our focus. And since our table was just for our company, it was nice having time to get to know everyone else and be a bit silly when we normally are doing more serious tasks in our meetings.

The actual awards show was really fun. It recognized casting directors for different types of film, tv, and theater. I had heard of many of the casting directors who were nominated and won, but there were so many that I didn’t know since they are a part of a different side of the industry than what I typically audition for. Even though I was there for work, I did take some mental notes of who was nominated so I could make sure I followed them on social media later.

And this was the first large award show that I had been able to attend. I haven’t been to any of the big award shows (yet), and for some of the smaller ones that I could potentially go to, I haven’t gotten a ticket or had the money if you had to pay for a ticket. I was so grateful that I was invited by my job to this because I had a great time and it was a wonderful experience.

As I’ve said frequently in the past, I have been trying to push myself to be more social and put myself out there, and this was the perfect thing for me to do. I had a chance to meet a lot of new people, see people I haven’t seen in years, and just be around others which is something I haven’t been doing that much. And yes, having the chance to dress up and be on a red carpet was nice as well and something that I hope I will have more opportunities to do in the future.

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Default ThumbnailIt’s SAG Awards Time! (or I Still Love Watching To See Who Wins) Default ThumbnailEnjoying The Emmys (or This Awards Show Will Be A Bit Of A Time Capsule) Default ThumbnailA Night Of SAG Awards (or Watching Union Unity) Default ThumbnailBeing An Active And Interactive Viewer (or SAG Awards Live-Tweeting) Default ThumbnailSAG Awards (or Watching After Knowing The Winners) Default ThumbnailThe Convention Gala (or An Evening Under and With The Stars)

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So Much Rain (or At Least I’m Not Really Going Anywhere)

Posted on January 12, 2023 | Comments Off on So Much Rain (or At Least I’m Not Really Going Anywhere)

I think the rain happening in California has been in the news for everyone, no matter where in the country you are. Yes, we have needed rain and we need to get out of a drought, but this amount of rain isn’t what we really needed. Because of the multi-year drought and how quickly this rain is coming, so much of the rain is going out to the ocean since we can’t store it all. But it is better than no rain so at least something is happening.

But even though the rain is good for the state and helps a lot of things, it’s also causing a lot of issues. I’ve been lucky with my place because I haven’t really had any flood or water issues. I was worried about it since I am on the first floor and I do have a little backyard. But I think either the rain was flowing away from my door or it was not puddling up. I also didn’t have any issues by my front door, but that’s probably because there is a little overhang from the floor above me over where my door is. And I guess it’s good that I don’t have any leaking from my windows even though they are old and probably need to be replaced.

At the building I’m in, we’ve had some standing water issues because the drains were being overwhelmed. There was a lot of water in our parking garage because it’s below street level and the water was flowing in, but it wasn’t flooding like I had seen other people have problems with. I just had to be careful where I stepped so I didn’t step into a deep puddle of water and get my socks and shoes wet.

I know LA has been luckier than other parts of the state. In Santa Barbara, there have been evacuations and their airport had to shut down due to flooding. In the Bay Area, freeways were flooding and cars were getting stuck. I know we had some mudslides in LA County, but they have been in very different parts of the county compared to where I live.

But even though the rain wasn’t causing a lot of property damage, it was still tough for me to get around. Whenever it’s raining or the weather is similar to when it’s raining, my hip hurts much more. I have been in a lot of pain since these back-to-back storms have been happening and I really try to not go too many places because I’m just in that much pain. I also know that the rain and water on the ground make things more unstable for me and I don’t want to risk falling. I’m staying home except for going to my workouts or doing errands that I can’t avoid doing. But even for things like getting groceries, I’m doing grocery delivery to be able to stay home and not have to worry about the pain or slipping.

Right now, we have a break from the rain but the next few storms are supposed to start soon. I’m going to try to get out of my house a bit while we have this break, but once the next storm comes in I will be staying home as much as I can again. I know that this is a lot less rain than most of the country deals with, but I still can’t wait until we are back to our normal sunny weather and I don’t have to have all these other concerns while trying to be out in the world.

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Default ThumbnailJust Being Lazy In The Rain (or Not Much To Write About) Default ThumbnailPain Distracts From Other Pain (or The Rain Isn’t Too Bad This Time) Default ThumbnailOnly Knowing Some Of The News (or Several Rough Nights Of Sleep) Default Thumbnail5K #9 (or I Still Don’t Like The Rain) Default Thumbnail2 Floods in 11 Hours (or I’m Glad I Knew Where The Water Shut-Off Was) Default ThumbnailMy Hips Ruined Part Of My Weekend (or Maybe I Should Pay Attention To The Weather)

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Exactly The Musical I Needed To See (or I Wasn’t Expecting To Like This Show This Much)

Posted on January 11, 2023 | Comments Off on Exactly The Musical I Needed To See (or I Wasn’t Expecting To Like This Show This Much)

I’m about halfway through my musical season, which is surprising since it feels like it just started. But this season is split up with a few other shows, so I don’t have another show until this summer when we have 3 shows within 3 months. So I’ll be missing seeing shows for a little while, but I think that the show we got to see this past weekend will make up for that because I really loved the show we saw.

It’s always a tradition to go to Wood & Vine before the show, and we continued that again. We lucked out because we have been having a lot of storms here in LA and Sunday was a break from the rain. So we were able to sit outside and stay warm under a heat lamp. And it was nice to have some outside time when I feel like I’ve been cooped up inside for a while. As always, the food was so delicious and amazing. We ordered a lot of things that we had before, but they have all been favorites of ours.

I was also smarter before going out that night and didn’t eat too much for breakfast or lunch so I had room for all the good food. Everything was really fulfilling and perfect for the stormy weather we have been going through.

And our show that night was one that was supposed to be in the 2019-2020 season that was canceled. But I’m glad the show decided to set up a tour again and they were a part of this season.

I love the movie “Mean Girls” and I was excited to see how it was adapted into a musical. I’ve seen some adaptations that I loved and some that weren’t as great, but I had high hopes for this one. Plus, I knew that the show would be very high-energy and silly so I was looking forward to that.

But what I didn’t expect was how much I would love the show. I thought the cast was so talented and the songs were very funny. Even when there was a technical glitch and the show had to take a very long pause, they were able to come back with as much energy and enthusiasm as before. And you couldn’t tell that they had to make some last-minute staging changes to accommodate the technical issues.

The story is pretty much the same as the movie and there are also a lot of the same characters. But there is a new level to the story with the songs. And I feel like the songs were so many different genres so they almost felt like a collective or a mix tape than something written by a single person. I really loved that. And the sets were almost all using screens, which is something I normally don’t love but it really worked with the show. It allowed the staging to quickly switch from one location to another and it kept the show moving quickly.

I really needed to see a show like Mean Girls. It was so fun and a nice escape from everything else going on in the world and in my life. And that’s why I love having season tickets for musicals. Normally, they aren’t just entertaining but a way to remove myself from any stress and worries in my life and I can just enjoy that moment in time and be really connected to a show. It will be weird that I might not have another musical until the summer, but maybe I’ll find something else to go and check out in the meantime!

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Default ThumbnailAnother Round Of A Repeat Musical (or Seeing A Show A Different Way) Default ThumbnailAnother Musical Season (or Enjoying A Repeat Musical) Default ThumbnailOne More Show At The Dolby (or Almost The End Of A Long Musical Season) Default ThumbnailMoulin Rouge! (or The Last Show Of An Extended Theater Season) Default ThumbnailKicking Off A Musical Season (or Seeing A Cartoon Brought To Life) Default ThumbnailNot Exactly A Musical Night (or Continuing To Be Spoiled With Our Pre-Show Dinners)

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