where ali goes to see rent with her daddy, and spends Quality Time with family.
okay. so, you know how i'm a big fan of rent? well, you know how i haven't seen it since like, 1998? yeah. so, i was like, tearing up at the first few notes. because have you any idea how different it is to see in front of your eyes something you've only seen in your head for nearly 8 years? yeah. it's very different. and moving. and i swear to motherfucking GOD that when angel started to get sick (did you know that that happened during "take me or leave me"? because i totally didn't remember that!!!!), i started crying. and by the time "i'll cover you (reprise)" had *started*? tears. streaming. so. hard. it like, *hurt*. i was trying to be a good dyke and not cry in public, but for the love of *crap* it didn't work. and yet, when mimi almost dies? nothing. not a tear. now, granted, that might've had something to do with the fact that the girl playing mimi could barely sing the part. OR the fact that her voice just didn't FIT. or the every-other-note-being-out-of-tune. but i still don't think so. the fact of the matter is, a fake death'll make me cry every fucking time. damn it. i'm such a GIRL.
funny sidenote: afterwards, we were leaving and my dad was saying how it was very good and asked me what i thought and i was like, "yeah, it was very good, except for mimi not being able to sing and maureen being RETARDEDLY off-key in most of her songs, but especially 'over the moon'," and he was like, "only you would say that, napoleon." and i thought it was funny, because like, isn't that why we paid $4000 a year for me to go to juilliard for six years for? also: the "over the moon" thing was just BAD. i mean, there were backup voices and instruments playing, and she was just in a different fucking key. and it hurt. a lot.
but i was *very* impressed with matt caplan (who played mark, who's like, my favorite character, so that's saying a lot), although i thought he played it too......snarky for a good part of the first act. and the second act was better than the first. and collins & angel were teh cute! (and those are two other roles i'm *very* particular about, as i am overly partial to jesse martin.) and "la vie boheme" kicked ASS. and i didn't mind the girl playing mimi on "without you" (which made me cry, for different reasons). and all in all, i was very glad to go. however, i am also very looking forward to the film, and seeing the "*real*" cast, and how the changes work out and whatnot.
other than all of that, the night itself was very successful. i love being with my dad when we're not fighting about one stupid thing or another. we had a night of good conversation, and he was interested in what's going on with me, and we spoke as adults, which is always a nice change of pace in my familial relationships. so it worked nicely. and i ended the night with a hot dog and a piece of dad's pretzel, and except for the missing chocolate egg cream, that's the perfect nightcap in new york right there.
thanksgiving proved very interesting. in brief, because i'm tired and have told several people i was going to bed hours ago: breakfast with dad (after watching the macy's parade for the first time in at least four years and seeing my step-third cousin in closeup in herald square). visiting grandma (mistress of the guilt trip) and seeing previously unseen pictures of her wedding (my grandfather was a beautiful man, and i'm NOT biased at all.......but i swear to god, i almost cried at the smirk on his face in a few of them, because it was just SO HIM......). FUCKING ALICE'S RESTAURANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (which we actually heard on the radio, but it was from the middle and on the way from the nursing home back to dad's, which is too short a drive, but still! and then we listened to it once we got in my car on my ipod to make the day official, for fuck's sake!!!!!!!!!) which i am being nice and have uploaded for you all right here and so help me fucking god, if you don't each and every one of you download it and listen to it i will shoot you, because it is the only good family thanksgiving memory i have and i need to share it with the world because it is PERFECT. (also, linds, i'm sure you'd like it anyway if you don't already have it. ;P) remember, you only have 7 days to download! so get on that, bitches. massive traffic on 287. dinner at mom's -- she started the first five minutes, then was mostly fine the rest of the night. then a surprise: dessert at sue & lj's. which kicked all sorts of monkey ass, except that it meant me and drew didn't end up going to see the rent movie tonight. which means either i'm gonna go see it by myself at some point this weekend, or i'm gonna have to wait a while to see it with drew. which pretty much means i'm going myself this weekend. ;) it's good, actually; maybe i'll go see it in CT and go to the beach same day? i'll have to dress warmer than i have been, but still. and sue & lj were awesome as always, so that worked out really nice.
however. i'm nervous for ellie. she's got breast cancer, and she's having surgery on tuesday. i can't remember what they're doing, i think it's just a lumpectomy, but it's still scary as hell. i love ellie and i don't want her going anywhere. so she HAS to be okay. i won't allow anything less. i asked lj to call me tuesday and let me know how it went, and i hope that's not too much for lj to do, cause they've got *so* much going on right now. i feel so self-involved lately......having been so lost in my own emotional bullshit. and i missed mary's grandmother's funeral to go on vacation! (which isn't anyone else's fault, i'm just mentioning it cause i don't think i had at all.) i've been horrible, familywise lately, and maybe i need to shift that.
finally, i'm considering paying twice as much a month for health insurance this year (pre-tax, which will actually end up not costing me that much a month, i don't think, in the long run, considering i think i jumped tax brackets this year) so that i can a) finally go to the neurologist, maybe, and b) maybe start seeing a therapist. because with my current plan, only 80% of 26 visits a year is covered, but if i switch to the PPO plan, 100% of 52 visits a year'll be covered (after a $20 copay, which is fine). now, of course, if i'm going to pay more money for the insurance, i'd have to actually commit myself to finding a therapist, and sticking to it for at least a year, which i don't know if that'll happen. and i pretty much have to decide this *this week*, because the firm sucks this year and is only giving us about a week for open enrollment. so......yeah. not much time for my usual vacillating, damn it.
and i could've sworn that vacillating had an s in it, so it's officially time for me to get some sleep. ;)
happy thanksgiving, and a happy 3rd anniversary to TEH ZAMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (right? this is 3??)
mwah!
~a