I had a good day today!
Today was a good day! First, I didn't have to get to work early, like I did the last couple days running. So I was better rested than usual. Then, the sun was shining! It was 65 degrees and I could wear short sleeves without a jacket! It's been a lousy winter, and April has been grey and rainy far more often then not, so this was quite welcome.
At work, I helped out Customer Service, Accounting, and Marketing with finding resources and getting stuff straightened out, and almost no one bothered me with anything trivial! During my walk at lunchtime, I finally saw some leaves budding on the trees and got to talk to my dad about the C# programming I'm working on right now. That afternoon, I was going through Diamond Previews and found not only a late solicitation from Viz for HapiMari (gotta get my pre-order in!) but the cover for Li'l Gotham 4, which I had not previously heard of but has the cutest Batman art ever. Plus, look! Even though his art features Catwoman, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy, none of them look like sex objects! The artist is Dustin Nguyen, and he's got more adorable art here.
After work, I got a French dip at Arby's (mmmm) and then went to go see Seussical the Musical at the local Playhouse. I've been wanting to see this musical for over a decade, but this was the first time it's ever been performed somewhere I could go see it. I was a little nervous, because I had been super-excited to see Jekyll and Hyde too, and that tour ended up being not so good, but the Playhouse handles comedic ensembles very well, so I was mostly optimistic. Also, back when I saw Shrek the Musical, I met this wonderful girl and her mother while we were coloring freak flags during the pre-show activities, and she'd told me all about how she was auditioning for Jojo and had been Marta in the Sound of Music, which I saw last year and was really impressed by the kids in particular.
As luck would have it, she did get the part and was starring tonight! (She switches off with another kid, but he's not important right now.) And it was wonderful! It was perfect! Avi (the girl) was a completely wonderful Jojo, and the Horton guy was absolutely perfect, and the three guys they got to play the Wickersham brothers moved like they really were monkeys and just had the most excellent choreography despite one of them being in all of seventh grade. Oh, and the Cat in the Hat was essentially Neil Patrick Harris slumming in Des Moines. Best performance I've seen at the Playhouse since Drowsy Chaperone, which is no light praise.
Since it was part of the children's theater lineup, after the show most of the cast was hanging out signing autographs, and I lavished them all with compliments. Before I could say anything, Avi spotted me across a sea of children and asked if I remembered her. Of course I did! And then her mother asked me the same thing, and I talked with them about how great everything was and how Avi is totally destined for Broadway but in the meantime I hope she gets the part of Cossette when they do Les Miz next season. And I got a picture with the Cat, and then even Horton remembered me, because I had praised him for his performance as the sleazy drug dealer in Rent last year! (He was also in Sunset Boulevard as Max, of all things.)
Then, on the way home, I turned right down the street because I wanted to return some library books, and there were fireworks! I don't even know why! But they were in the direction I was driving, so I just kept heading that way until I saw the grand finale. Then I turned around, dropped off my books, and now I'm home and planning to watch the Project Runway finale, where I'm hoping Patricia wins but even if annoying Michelle does, I won't be too unhappy.
Hooray for good days!
At work, I helped out Customer Service, Accounting, and Marketing with finding resources and getting stuff straightened out, and almost no one bothered me with anything trivial! During my walk at lunchtime, I finally saw some leaves budding on the trees and got to talk to my dad about the C# programming I'm working on right now. That afternoon, I was going through Diamond Previews and found not only a late solicitation from Viz for HapiMari (gotta get my pre-order in!) but the cover for Li'l Gotham 4, which I had not previously heard of but has the cutest Batman art ever. Plus, look! Even though his art features Catwoman, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy, none of them look like sex objects! The artist is Dustin Nguyen, and he's got more adorable art here.
After work, I got a French dip at Arby's (mmmm) and then went to go see Seussical the Musical at the local Playhouse. I've been wanting to see this musical for over a decade, but this was the first time it's ever been performed somewhere I could go see it. I was a little nervous, because I had been super-excited to see Jekyll and Hyde too, and that tour ended up being not so good, but the Playhouse handles comedic ensembles very well, so I was mostly optimistic. Also, back when I saw Shrek the Musical, I met this wonderful girl and her mother while we were coloring freak flags during the pre-show activities, and she'd told me all about how she was auditioning for Jojo and had been Marta in the Sound of Music, which I saw last year and was really impressed by the kids in particular.
As luck would have it, she did get the part and was starring tonight! (She switches off with another kid, but he's not important right now.) And it was wonderful! It was perfect! Avi (the girl) was a completely wonderful Jojo, and the Horton guy was absolutely perfect, and the three guys they got to play the Wickersham brothers moved like they really were monkeys and just had the most excellent choreography despite one of them being in all of seventh grade. Oh, and the Cat in the Hat was essentially Neil Patrick Harris slumming in Des Moines. Best performance I've seen at the Playhouse since Drowsy Chaperone, which is no light praise.
Since it was part of the children's theater lineup, after the show most of the cast was hanging out signing autographs, and I lavished them all with compliments. Before I could say anything, Avi spotted me across a sea of children and asked if I remembered her. Of course I did! And then her mother asked me the same thing, and I talked with them about how great everything was and how Avi is totally destined for Broadway but in the meantime I hope she gets the part of Cossette when they do Les Miz next season. And I got a picture with the Cat, and then even Horton remembered me, because I had praised him for his performance as the sleazy drug dealer in Rent last year! (He was also in Sunset Boulevard as Max, of all things.)
Then, on the way home, I turned right down the street because I wanted to return some library books, and there were fireworks! I don't even know why! But they were in the direction I was driving, so I just kept heading that way until I saw the grand finale. Then I turned around, dropped off my books, and now I'm home and planning to watch the Project Runway finale, where I'm hoping Patricia wins but even if annoying Michelle does, I won't be too unhappy.
Hooray for good days!