The end is near!!!!

So, the end is near. The end of 2009, that is. And what a year it was. In my last post of 2008, I wrote:
2008 was an active and productive year for lil Miss Tahrea, I must say.
And what of 2009?
I wonder what it holds...
I can expect several blunders of various sorts.
Theatrical happenings.
Many more friends and acquaintances...
More anger.
More laughter.
Maybe more love, which will more than likely result in more despite if I choose the wrong person.
Again.

I guess...
2009 will be more of the same...
and more. 

I have to LOL as I read that because it was vague enough to be right on the money. Indeed, there were many new theatrical happenings, friends, emotions, and a whole lotta love. Let's reminisce for a moment....
Friends and Family:
-Josh and I started dating February 20th. Well, technically our first OFFICIAL date was the 26th, but the sparks started flying that first fateful night. Our relationship started in a theatre...
-Sam had Avalyn on April 4th, and I was there for it. What a night.
-Junia graduated High School in May.
- Madison turned 6 and started 1st Grade. Grace turned 4 and started Preschool. Nevaeh turned 2.
-Baby Zach was born on November 18th. A BOY!
-I gained several new friends and connections through my theatrical happenings, which leads me to...
Theatrical Happenings:
-I successfully completed Treasure Island, my first stint as a director.
-I became a reviewer with www.theatrevault.com.
-I finished my first year in May as Musical Theatre Instructor for the Charmion Performing Arts Center, and I began my second year in September.
-I successfully directed my second production, Dorothy Meets Alice.
-I was a last minute member of the Rosebriar Shakespeare Company's rendition of Midsummer Night's Dream, which rocked.
-I played Bianca in RSC's production of Taming of the Shrew.
-I had auditions and began the rehearsal process for my third show, A Kidsummer Night's Dream which is going up in February.
Randomness:
-Bea Arthur, Billy Mays, Brittany Murphy, David Carradine, Dom DeLuise, Ed McMahon, Edward Kennedy, Farrah Fawcett, Henry Gibson, James Whitmore, Jett Travolta, John Hughes, Les Paul, Michael Jackson, Mollie Sugden,  Natasha Richardson, Patrick Swayze, Walter Cronkite, and many more all passed away. RIP, all.
-Dad was laid off.
-My grandfather has been fighting through his pancreatic cancer.
-We moved into our new house, although there are still some minor things that need to be taken from the old house.
-I began search for more opportunities to babysit and eventually become a nanny. Wouldn't that be cool?
-We started going to church again! Woot for Christian Life Fellowship!
- I finally got a better cell phone and a laptop.

2009 was a good year. I got a lot done. I added friends and added to my theatre resume. I found something more in my relationship with Josh. I reconnected with folks I never thought I'd talk to again. SO, what do I see for our new decade???? Truthfully, no idea. I guess I could be as vague as I was almost a year ago, predicting theatrical happenings, anger, laughter, friends, and love. I will say I hope, I HOPE 2010 brings a better financial situations, resolution to old issues, and a new car. I will predict more adventures with Josh and my family. My resolution is to continue down the path of eating and living healthier and embracing life more. Oh, and to find a way to control my anger. I'm sick of turning into the Hulk whenever I get mad. It's not fun.
But that's another story.

Happy New Year to you all!

What's eating THAT guy? Oh, his pet lion, Bongo.

Recently, I came face to face with my newest pet peeve: People who wish to purchase or obtain wild or exotic animals for the purpose of having one as a pet. Oh yeah. Now, when my mother was a child, her father had a lot of dogs. Not all at once but over the span of her adolescences. One of their canine friends was, in fact, a wolf. This particular creature wasn't purchased or gained through connections. He actually followed mom home one evening as she rode home on her bike. He was cool enough and they kept him around. Strange but true. Swear. Whatever.
With the exception of Sigfried and Roy or exotic animal trainers, no one, NO average joe could present me with a valid and logical explanation as to why they want or NEED such a bizarre companion. I like to blame, who else, the Disney Empire. Thanks, Balto.
Don't get me wrong. I love animals, except snakes (even though they provide a special niche in the animal kingdom). I adore them. And I find such gorgeous predators as the wolf or cheetah or tiger to be awesome. And who doesn't love monkeys and chimps? Funny as the day is long. But, come on. That's the only reason anyone would really want one; because they're cool. I'm not saying it's not ok for kids to want strange and exotic pets. Imagination is a great thing. It's when these kids grow up and turn into irrational adults that I start to get irritated. Worse off, there are these people who actually go through with their childish desires and GET one. Then they wonder why all their other pets and children (Lord knows they have them) start disappearing. I mean, people around the world try to protect their children and livestock from vicious, WILD predators and some jaggoff in Whatsit, USA wants to open his home to a wolf. "Oh, we'll get a cub. That way, he'll be raised to be tame." BULL. That freaking wolf comes from generations of feral mentalities and urges that no training manual and living room kennel can suppress. Not even deer can be completely tamed, and they're retarded.
And what makes you, Joe Schmoe, so qualified of an individual to have such a pet? HUHMMM??? You work for an American based company doing something that comes nowhere near what could be considered animal training, and you want to bag a cheetah for the family Christmas card. You know what? Go ahead. Get your cheetah or wolf or  chimp or whatever. Be THAT guy. Just be sure to keep it indoor so all the inevitable carnage can be soaked into your carpet and not disturb the neighbors and their measly dog who's presence doesn't pose a constant threat on their lives and communities.
GAH!

My favorite Simpsons moment

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Star_Is_Burnshttp://www.snpp.com/episodes/2F31.html

Barney: Next, they're going to show _my_ movie.
  Bart: _You_ made a movie?
Barney: _I_ made a movie?  No wonder I was on the cover of
        "Entertainment Weekly".
-- Barney's short-term memory, "A Star is Burns"

Barney's movie is in black and white.  It opens with a shot of a Duff
beer bottle on a windowsill.  Gauzy white curtains billow around it as
the love theme from "M.  Butterfly" plays.  A hand grabs the bottle and
turns it upside down; the camera pans slowly down to reveal Barney's
lips on the other end of it.

The next shot shows Barney from above lying on a couch under the window.
As a voiceover, he says, "My name is Barney Gumbel.  I'm 40, I'm single,
and I drink."  The scene fades to a road where Barney lies in the
gutter, drinking another Duff, then lying down.  The Duff pours slowly
into a sewer grating.  "There's a line in `Othello' about a drinker:
`Now a sensible man, by and by a fool, and presently a beast.'  That
pretty well covers it."  The camera shows a time lapse view of clouds
moving during the day, which turns to night, then back to day again.
Barney has become an old man, bald, toothless, still lying in the same
gutter.  A tear leaks from his eye.

A woman watching the movie is moved.

 Woman: It's brilliant: savagely honest, tender...he has the soul of a
        poet.
Barney: You're very kind.
 Woman: Excuse me, did something crawl down your throat and die?
Barney: It didn't die!
-- Methinks the man doth protest too much, "A Star is Burns"

Back on the screen, Barney sits in a chair and says, "My name is Barney
Gumbel, and I'm an alcoholic."  The camera pulls back to reveal several
similarly-attired girls.  Lisa says, "Mr. Gumbel, this is a Girl Scout
meeting."  Barney asks, "Is it?  Or is it that you girls can't admit you
have a problem?"

The scene fades to a playing record player, then back to Barney on the
couch, a rose held to his nose.  "Don't cry for me," he narrates, "I'm
already dead."  He puts the rose in the Duff bottle on the windowsill;
its petals fall off slowly, and the curtain billows in front of it as
"Fin" appears.

(I can't find an English version of this video, but this is the clip... In Italian.... :0/ )

The Diva is Doomed.

The diva surrounds herself
with friends and emotion,
always fearing time spent alone,
for there the truth finds her.
The diva smiles for the crowd
Below the act,
Below the diva's stage,
her foundation is crumbling.
The diva covers her pain and troubles
with makeup and band-aids.
The diva's unrelenting ability
to destroy is her downfall.
The diva is tortured by the demons
she has created.
The diva has no room for clothes
in her closet, full of skeletons.
The diva has compromised her life,
her emotions,
her relationships.
The diva is now haunted by her mistakes,
yet continues to fail her loved ones.
One day the diva will discover true loneliness.
She will discover the bottom of the empty bottle.
No script will save her speech
when all charisma is sucked away from her eyes.
No role will spare her from real emotion.
No revival will save the diva's soul.

I love snow.I love Christmas. I hate moving.

Today brought real snow. The kind that sticks to the ground, blanketing my world. Ah, many cheers to God for setting the stage for the next few days. According to the Weather Channel app on my phone, we citizens of Ashville should expect snow on the long expected day of Christmas as well! Lord knows Bing Crosby isn't the only one dreaming of a white Christmas. I can't remember the last time it really snowed on Christmas. SIGH...
On another note, I am 99.9% finished shopping and wrapping all of my gifts. I FINALLY received a gift for mom I ordered online and made haste in getting it wrapped up and labeled. I'm not completely 100% there as I have yet to decide whether or not to get an additional gift for a basket I've made up. I am running out of time! Decision making during the holidays... Not for the faint of heart.
Man, I have reached that moment where I can relax my mind a bit and not worry anymore about the Christmas chaos that is rapidly approaching. HOWEVER, I have yet to reach said euphoria in the moving department. This glorious gust of snow has muddled certain plans of moving large items. Argh. And I have yet to finish gathering up all wanted items and disposing of those that will not make the journey across the yard. I hate moving. Whatever plans I make in the near future, I will not be moving for quite some time. Ugh.

Boycott the Newsboys (It's for a good cause)

Info regarding the songs stolen by the Newsboys from local Columbus band, Reconciled:
The Newsboys recorded the song "This is who I am," originally written and recorded soley by Reconciled.
Go to the promo page for Winter Jam 2010. On that page, there is a video promo for the concert, and the Newsboys clip is them singing this S T O L E N song!
I am not sure about copyright issues now with the Newsboys, but I have the original (Reconciled version) on my computer, and have had it for MONTHS! I can not post it with this note...
The story is, as it has been passed on to me, that Reconciled recorded the song at the same studio where Newsboys record, with the same duo that is composing the Newsboys new album.
Legal definition of song is melody and lyrics; while working with the team, Reconciled's melody and lyrical content that was not created in studio, is being taken by newsboys.
The band ultimately had to break up, and before doing so did not have the opportunity to copyright the song for themselves, though they put forth the money and creativity for studio time.
I have not yet had opportunity to examine the inside cover of the CD, but am willing to bet that Reconciled is not given any credit for writing the song. There is a portion of the original recording that is left out of the Newsboys version.
It is sad that this is what christian musicians can do to other christians.
here is the link to see Newsboys perform the song in the video promo for the tour,

http://www.hearitfirst.com/winterjam/default.aspx
you can also hear the reconciled Recording
http://www.facebook.com/reconciledband?v=app_6917629807&ref=ts

stress, good and bad

Ugh.
After all this time, I've finally begun to get into the holiday spirit. It's finally feeling like Christnas time. Junia and I have begun to start discussing our 5th annual Christmas party. Mom is pulling out cookie recipes. And the shopping is well underway. Oh, the shopping. Ugh. I truly love getting gifts for my loved ones, knowing they'll really appreciate them, and I love the sense of accomplishment when I have purchased everything and wrapped them up. Too bad I have yet to reach this certain sense of holiday nirvana. On top of this is the added stress of getting ready for this fantastic children's show Junia and I have found ourselves with. Oh, and this new sickness which has suddenly afflicted me. Again I say ugh. But I remain somewhat optimistic about the shopping. I shall get it all done. I will! And the stress over the show is a good stress, driving my mind down the path of focus. Everything will come together. I found a pianist in darling Yvonne, which was my biggest freakout. Everything else will come together.
*SIGH*
Too bad there is NOTHING optimistic about being sick.