Why One Shouldn't Travel Alone

It's not the possible muggings or such. One shouldn't travel alone because then you get pictures like these...

Yeah, I don't know anyone in this picture either. But it's pretty! This a building on Colombia University's campus - recognize it? There's a scene from Hitch that was filmed on these steps (when the funny guy and Will Smith meet for the first time).



The ice skating rink at Rockefeller is SO much smaller in real life! (Sorry to ruin that for anyone.) Yep - still no one in this picture that I know.


Trying to master the art of photographing yourself - the one arm zoom. (Is my forehead REALLY that big??) The backdrop? Lovely Central Park - it really is amazing!!!


And then some nice man offered to take one of me. See how much better it is?


A little bonus - Holy Poof of Bangs Batman!!

Numbers Game

Days spent in NYC...4 1/2
Shows seen on Broadway...3 (plus the Rockettes' Christmas Spectacular)
Happiness level...110%
Number of marriage proposals...1 1/2 plus a wink from a stranger on a subway
Number of mysterious but cool gentlemen I met on said trip...1 (enter *r****)

Days away from the office...3
Number of voicemails received...1
Number of NEW emails...190+
Number of minutes spent hyperventilating when I saw the number of NEW emails...27

Equals...A great trip to NYC and a killer day back at the office. How long until the Thanksgiving holiday??

Blind Dates

I received an email from a girl I had been in a show with a couple years back asking if I was still single. We were friends on Facebook and she was looking for someone to set up her brother with. It's a good thing she ran across my photo in Facebook! Now I can up my dating statistics for 3rd quarter 2008 to a grand total of possibly one. Hmmm...maybe I should actually send a Christmas letter this year out to all my friends and subtly (or not so subtly) remind them that I am still single and I'm always up for a blind date with men over 6' 2", who have a decent occupation (i.e. college degree with ambition to advance), are good Mormon boys, and who like to laugh. But I digress...

So *o** called me Sunday night and we chatted for a while. He seems like a cool guy - I was kind of a dork on the phone and he didn't totally laugh at me. :) At the end of our conversation he even suggested that we get together before we both leave on our vacation trips (not with each other, don't worry...that would be some blind date!) this weekend, because - and I quote - "You sound fun." (According to his sister, he also finds me attractive!) I'm not gonna lie - it's flattering to have a good conversation with a guy and know that you have a date with him that week.

Now for conflict (every good story has to have some sort of conflict or set back, right?). It's Tuesday night and he hasn't called to set up the particulars of our supposed date tomorrow night. I did get a call from his sister around 10 pm tonight asking how our phone call went - yes, we are still in middle school. She said he's shy and that he wasn't sure if he should call me back...I'm totally flattered that he finds me attractive and enjoyed talking to me. But darling *o**, it does neither of us any good if you DON'T CALL ME BACK!! *sigh* I told her to tell him (did I mention we're still in middle school?) that he should call me and we'll go do something. I even told her to tell him he can pick something he enjoys doing, so if I'm lame he'll still have a good time. She says he's just shy in the beginning...after a while he'll grow out of it. Hope springs eternal. :)

By the way, I'd just like to take this opportunity to let you all know that I am still single. I find blind dates (or the events leading up to blind dates, or even the offer of blind dates) amusing, so please send any eligible young men my way. Please... :)

Will's Fest in CC

(Charm and TT at the Cedar City Shakespeare Festival doing our best Juliet impression - 2007.)

I love to go down to the Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City. Seriously - I love to GO down there. I absolutely abhor, despise, detest, and loathe the drive back in the dark, deer-infested night. I'm always so terrified that I'll end up hitting a deer or that I'll fall asleep at the wheel and kill myself. I know what you're thinking - "Don't hold back, Charm...Tell us how you really feel." Don't even get me started on the time it took us six hours to get from Cedar City to Provo...

Besides the awful drive back, the Festival is really great. I headed down with a friend and we started off with lunch at the Pastry Pub. Absolutely delightful! If you ever frequent Cedar City you MUST stop by the Pastry Pub for the good grub. Plus the slightly Shakespearean influenced decorations are kind of fun. :) However, I do not recommend the Baklava for breakfast...I made that mistake this morning with Baklava I purchased last night.

Our first show we attended was "Gaslight" - a Victorian thriller about a woman who is being driven insane by her husband. I was impressed with the leading lady - she handled the role very skillfully. Just the right touch of almost-hysteria, but she didn't cross the line into melodrama. That is a very difficult balance. And the set was amazing. Loved it!! (If you think you might enjoy watching a woman lose her mind, check out the film with Ingrid Bergman.)

Before "Gaslight" started, I ran into my Drama Queen Cousin and Aunt Art at the Festival quite unexpectedly. You never know who you'll see in Cedar City!

Then we walked around town and ate dinner at Cafe Orleans. Who knew you could get Cajun food in Cedar City, Utah! It was pretty good. I think they even had Tony Chachere's in salt shakers...it wasn't labeled, but I could tell what it was. :)

The evening show was closing night of Julius Caesar. To be honest, I wasn't really excited about seeing Julius Caesar - I like Will's comedies more than his tragedies. But you almost have to see a Shakespearean play when you go to the Shakespeare Festival. I did actually like seeing their version - all the costumes were modern suits and army fatigues. My favorite moment...In one of the first scenes Marc Antony comes bounding on stage (yes - he was bounding) in a Formula One car racing suit. Priceless! (I think reference is made to Brutus driving at a rapid pace in his chariot...hence the racing suit.) From a technical aspect, the lighting and sound were excellent. They had some ominous lightning at critical moments in the play, which was excellently executed. Also, during the funeral speeches they had a track which gave "voice" to the audience, which was a fun effect. Overall, it was pretty well done. But still not one of my favorite plays...sorry Will.

The Biggest Loser

I'm totally addicted! Last night I watched 3 hours worth of The Biggest Loser on NBC.com - isn't the world wide web amazing? I started watching last season. It's phenomenal to see the transformation that happens. Yep, it's pretty great viewing...especially as I chow down on brownies and rice crispy treats. After all, if they aren't going to eat them, someone has to do it...I'm just doing my best to keep balance in the universe...

A Hike to Remember

So dreamy **i** (not to be confused with **v** - and yes, things really are over with **v**) and I are going hiking Friday night. He's the dashingly handsome man that took me to the Spring Ballroom Dance concert. Remember? (Hey, just because he waited 6 months to ask me out again doesn't mean anything...I want a guy who makes wise, well thought out decisions...yeah...)

I told him about my show and he said he wanted to come see it. I posted a comment on Facebook stating that I only had 6 shows left and that prompted an email from said gentleman, **i**. He asked if I was looking forward to the free time after the show was done and I mentioned that I was exciting to do other things again, like hiking...yeah, I was totally playing up to him. I mean I do like hiking...see the picture above for proof...just because I know he likes hiking and happened to mention hiking...well...it's something we have mildly in common! All I'm trying to do is build relationships of trust - right? Anyway, he said if I did well enough in the show that he might even take me on a guided hike...guess I did well enough. :)

Cross your fingers for me! Maybe if I'm lucky he'll ask me out again in another six months!!

And for those of you who think I don't like hiking...

It's Over...Before it Began...

So I've been out with this guy a few times recently...we'll call him **v**. I was pretty stoked when he called up and asked me out, I'm not gonna lie. He knew about my insane schedule and arranged for a Saturday lunch date. Then he made dinner for me after the show one night...invited me for a Sunday drive a few weeks later. Things seemed to be going well. So I decided to invite him over for dinner...I figured it was about time I initiate something. He came and dinner went well. He even sat towards the middle of the couch while we were watching the CES Fireside. However, something went terribly wrong during dessert...

I tried a couple of times to invite him to my show, but chickened out. I finally plucked up the courage and casually said, "You should come see my show...you know, if you have time." To which he responded, "Yeah, we'll have to see..." We'll have to see?? I obviously cannot see myself with a man with such poor decision making skills. Nor can I see myself with the type of man who doesn't know the right answer. Of course the dress doesn't make me look fat! Of course I should get the dessert! Of course I look prettier every day! Of course you want to come see my show...as if you have anything better to do!

Oh well...on to the next man. Guys are like buses, right Mom? If I miss one, the next one will be around shortly...say 12 months...

Personal Space Issues

For those of you with theatrical experience (or if you've seen Noises Off), you know that part of the fun of doing a show is all the shenanigans backstage. My favorite part of The Hasty Heart is a 10 minute stretch where Rhett and Richard vie for laughs as they go head to head trying to think of something funnier than the other. Seriously - they make me laugh SO hard! Usually I'm able to keep an ear out for the cue lines before my entrance. However, tonight I was laughing a little too hard (silently) and totally missed my cue to go on stage! Oops! But I digress...

So right before my favorite part of the show, there's a two minute segment that has become a game of hide and seek. For whatever reason, I exit and then another cast member exits and we happen to be the only two off stage for about 30 seconds. During that 30 seconds this cast member has developed a habit of hugging me or touching my face or even pushing my face against his shoulder. I tried to politely resist - I don't want to hurt his feelings and I don't think there's any bad intent on his part. To be honest, I have NO IDEA why he does it...except he may like me. Regardless of the reason, I was ready for it to stop after about 4 nights of this. So I decided it was time to just get the heck out of Dodge! So after exiting, I proceed all the way out the door of the theater to the outside. One night I went left instead of right (still inside the theater) and he followed me, so I just kept on walking! Now, I just leave completely...wait a few minutes and then come back once more people are back stage. It's stupid, but at least my personal space is not infringed upon!

As if that weren't enough, there's another guy in the cast who likes to put his arm around my waist and hug me. He's a cute thing and I don't want him to feel rejected, but really people! What ever happened to personal space??

Only 6 Shows Left...

Wow - it's hard to believe we only have six shows left! But it's a blessed thing. For about a week and a half I wasn't sure if I was going to make it through the rest of the show. I briefly thought about how I could get out of the show (fake an appendicitis attack...I know how that works, or step in front of a moving vehicle and get somewhat seriously injured, etc.), but then I decided I better just stick around. After all - how would they find a replacement within 24 hours? That would just be mean of me. This tough stretch also happened to be accompianied by an attack of allergies. I took my first sick day EVER at this job - the last time I took a sick day was during the before mentioned appendicitis attack.

But then last Friday night I got my second wind. It's fun to do the show again. I feel perfectly happy about the fact that the last show is this Saturday. I'm still enjoying giving a performance, but very much looking forward to having a life again. It's been a good run. I have fun co-workers who make me laugh SO hard back stage!! And the part has been a really fabulous part. It's been a great experience. So friends and family - forgive me for complaining. I'm not going to say I'll never do another show, because I probably will. BUT - I never EVER want to do a show single cast for 6 weeks straight. If I ever consider doing that in the future, it will be because a) I've gone insane, b) I found a nice sugar daddy who supports me in my habit, or c) I've won the lottery and stopped working full-time. 118 hours until I'm free...

We've Been Reviewed!

Check out the review of our show, The Hasty Heart, by the Deseret News. The same author trashed another show that opened the same time as us, so I was a little worried how it would turn out...but she gave us a great review! So what are you waiting for...come see the show!

Pride Goeth Before the Fall

After ending last week's rehearsals on a high note (the director gave me high praise on my acting), I had a wake up call tonight. It was our first tech, which means things are a little crazy. Getting used to the space, wearing costumes the whole time, hair, make up, all sorts of props, etc. makes for a tough rehearsal. Half way through one of the producers came to talk to me and gave me some new things to think about. It was great criticism/observations on how I can improve my character, but just a little late!! We only have three more practices before we open and I don't know if I can get what she wants before Friday night. Oh well, I'll just have to do the best I can and not worry too much. :) Right...

Pink Haired Ninja's Wish

So my cool little sis requested that I created a blog. So here it is PHN!! In all its glory - bwah, ha, ha...

To get things started right, I thought I would share a funny boy/girl story...One of the guys in my cast is a cute kid who usually walks me out to my car at the end of rehearsal. I think he might be interested, so I've tried to be nice but not too encouraging. He's a nice guy, but younger than me, and not my type. The other night he asked a question in an attempt to ascertain my age. I evaded the question by asking how old he is and found out that he is 24 years old. Such a cute kid! He then asked me again how old I was and I told him if you multiplied the number of sides a square has by a lucky number (7), he'd have my age - okay, not really. I just told him I was 28. Bless his heart, he was shocked and amazed! He assured me I didn't look that old. :)