A very FRUSTRATING pet peeve!

Let's get this straight, English speakers of the world--- there is no such word as "FUStrated."

I can't believe how many times I've heard people say this. It's not only people I know, but people all over television, including newscasters! Ahh! I don't know what I'll ever do with myself if "fustrated" actually becomes part of the English dictionary...

So stand up, my fellow Americans! Let us help those who have strayed from the grammatical path of truth. Save your family and friends from the FRUStrating effects of a linguistic letdown.

The Little Theatre That Could: A Celebration of 35 Years

It's been a few weeks since the show at The Four County Players ended, but thanks to Dave, I have a few bits of video to remember the event. For everyone who couldn't make it out to The Middle of Nowhere, Virginia, I bring my performances right to the comfort of your own home! My only request is that you don't make fun of me for being incredibly awkward... except for my brother David, whose job is to make fun of me. :)

How Could I Ever Know? (from The Secret Garden):

Somewhere That's Green (from Little Shop of Horrors):

CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL!

Let's just say, I was in heaven.





And yes, the Browns are wearing brown. In honor of chocolate. But we actually didn't talk about it first-- we both just knew it was right. :)

Weil, Gotshal, and Manges

It's official. Dave has accepted the offer in New York City, and we'll be moving there next summer.

Holy cow.

Child's Play

Gabe and I used to have hours of fun making up things to play.... for example, this is "walk the dog":

As a kid, our minds think so simply. "Ok, I'll be the lady, and you be the dog. Let's see... this jump rope is the leash, and since mom told me I'm not allowed to wrap it around your neck, we'll go ahead and have you put it in your mouth. Oh my gosh, we look so real."

I loved being a kid. And I'm not gonna lie, it's fun to be the big sister-- I don't have to be the dog.

Sorry, Gabey. :)

Happy Birthdays

Now it's been a few weeks since their birthdays, but I just got the pictures from the celebration, so I'm renewed in the birthday-wishing spirit! Two of my sisters, Monica and Julianna, have their birthdays right next to each other in September. I couldn't make it to Ohio for the party, but it looks like they had fun with their birthday crowns and cheesy cards (ahem... DAD).

Happy belated birthdays, Moni and Juji!

p.s. also of note is my awesome and beautiful sister Cecilia, who is not pictured, because her birthday was in June... but I guess you can have a happy belated b-day too, Cece! :)

Drumroll please!

At the request of my loving husband, I will FINALLY share will you my recent news. Not just that, but I can't hold in my excitement anymore...

I GOT THE PART!

I will be playing the role of Anne, one of the leads in A Little Night Music at the LiveArts theatre in downtown Charlottesville. I can't believe it! I'm so excited!!!

I had to eat my words-- I complained in my last post about how it takes so long to hear back from casting directors after auditions. In this case, I auditioned on Monday, had callbacks on Tuesday, and they contacted me Wednesday morning. Now that's impressive! Maybe that's how it's always been, but since I've never been a lead I never knew how early they called their main characters. :) Rehearsals start right when my other show is in performance, so there won't be too much of an overlap. But suffice it to say I'll be very busy through Christmas! The show runs December 7-22.

So, I'm thrilled. This is a big step for me and I can't wait to get started.

And yes, I have to kiss a guy in the show. So weird.

And now I wait.

In case you're wondering, I DID make callbacks for A Little Night Music. Yay!

I sat patiently for an hour and forty-five minutes while they had other parts read and sing, only to read two scenes. Once. But I feel like it went well anyway. Of course there's no way to tell-- everyone else was good too. One good sign was that the music director pulled me aside and said, "We're not going to have you sing today. You've already impressed us there, and we don't need to hear you again." Wahoo! At least if I don't get the part, I know that I was a worthy competitor.

Now comes the excruciating period where I wait, wonder, second-guess my performance, and play over everything that was said to me until I go crazy! Ahh, the anticipation!

There's No Business Like Show Business

This is somewhat old news, but I'm still excited, so I'll announce it officially on here: I'm in a show!

Now, I've got to clarify-- it's not really a SHOW show, but a musical revue kinda show. It's at a little theatre outside of Charlottesville called The Four County Players. They've been doing theatre in central Virginia for the past 35 years, so they're having a big 35th anniversary revue, with performances of songs from some of the musicals they've done over the years.

I've recieved my solo assignments and I couldn't be more excited! I'm singing "How Could I Ever Know" from The Secret Garden, and "Somewhere That's Green" from Little Shop of Horrors. Two of my favorite songs! I'll also be taking part in the opening and closing group numbers.

I hope it will come together well. There were some really talented people at auditions, so I'm sure it's a great lineup of performances. I can't wait!

To find out information about the show, you can check out the theatre's website: www.fourcp.org

And in other news, I auditioned for A Little Night Music tonight at another theatre in town called LiveArts. I feel like I did really well. Hopefully I'll find out soon if I've made callbacks-- they're tomorrow night!

A new post is on the horizon...

I've got one working up. Maybe a few. Tomorrow's my day off, so I'll finally make time for my little bloggy-poo.

Also, bloggy-poo is gross.