Friday, September 28, 2007

Pencils Up!

I have already established the fact that I am crazy, but today I have discovered that I am in fact insane. Yup. It's true.

My honorary sister, Ashley said, "let's do this." With out much thought, I went to the website and signed up for NaBloPoMo.

National Blogging Posting Month starts November 1st, and I am to post a blog EVERY SINGLE day of November...including Saturday's and Sundays.

Does this make crazy? No.
Does this make me insane? why, yes. Yes it does.

Oh, it's going to be fun. No one said that I had to write about anything interesting, and I do not have to write about anything that anyone wants to read about. All I have to do is write, but as usual, I have a ZILLION questions.

1) How long do my posts have to be?
2) Do they have to make sense?
3) If I just post a picture does that count?

So, three does not exactly equal a zillion, but when all three questions cultivate itself into your brain at the same time, it feels like a zillion.

I guess it's time to prep for November. I hope I don't get carpal tunnel.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Beep Beep

Help me design a sign for the top of my car.

Bum a ride from Beverley?
Taxi-Bev USA?

I guess I could try and call my taxi service something creative, but nothing comes to mind that can not be taken the wrong way…

Being the only one amongst my friends that has a car in San Francisco can sometimes be a SERIOUS disadvantage. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t mind driving to events some of the time, or even helping out a friend in distress. (sigh)

This weekend is supposed to be a fun filled show-stopping time, and it will be----for everyone else. I’ll just be the one that sits in the corner drinking water with a bunch of drunk people like I did last weekend. That can be fun once in a while, and I’m not a big drinker. I would just like to have the OPTION. It’s this unspoken rule and it’s sort of assumed that I’m going to drive… I mean how else am I going to get there?

How else can I get there? I could WALK. Take the BUS or TAXI. I might even drive, but at least I wouldn’t have to take out all the of the NASTY trash out of my car left over from my guests that didn’t offer to pay for gas because I was already going to the event. At least… at least I would have the luxury of wallowing in my own g.d. mess instead of everyone else’s.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Back to School


Yesterday was the start of the wonderful fall semester! I am thrilled to be taking another class towards my career certificate in web design. For my first assignment, I had to create a "painting" with my name and a logo with vector graphics. This is what I came up with...


As you can see, I am very artistically challenged. This is very unfortunate because I wish with all my heart that I could draw. Instead I just laugh at myself, and hope that I will wake up one day with an amazing and trained ablity to draw.

Monday, September 24, 2007

Days of Our Weekend...

Today is feeling like a time warp.
I had so many events happen this weekend, I don't know what to tell you about. Do you want to know about Kiss Me Kate and how it took Pash and I three hours to get to Alameda? Plus my ex's best friend got to meet my new main squeeze? Do you want to hear about my friends wedding, and how Pash drank too much wine? Oh! How about the Now and Zen fest that Pash was too hung over to attend. It worked out because I directly ran into my ex, and I really would have tripped over my introductions. How random. This world is too small.

Let's go with a safe story. :)

On Sunday night after rehearsal, I almost died. I was driving down Franklin in San Francisco, and this street is three lanes wide. I'm all the way in the right hand lane, when all of a sudden, a car going at least 60 mph turns onto Franklin cutting across the two lanes and pouring into the third. Almost directly into me. I swerved a little, but I had to avoid the parked cars. The bright lights were almost blinding, and the screeching caused me to braise for the impact. 30 seconds later, I realized that the car did indeed race passed me leaving me unscathed, and I was now traveling 20 mph with my eyes closed. Shaking, I grabbed my steering wheel not fully realizing that I had let go of it, and I watched the four cop cars chase the get away car.

I arrived home to a hung-over Pasha sitting on the couch watching The Office. I told him the story, however, he was plagued with the alcohol curse and wasn't very interested in the fact I almost died. However, he called me this morning and said, "Did you say you almost died last night?"

Ha. Late is better than never.

Friday, September 21, 2007

Audition

Four years ago, I graduated college, I finished singing Louisa in the Fantasticks, I was already cast as Babe in Crimes of the Heart, SRT and Pacific Alliance State Co both called me to audition for their companies, and I felt pretty much on top of my game. So, I decided to submit my headshot and resume to a semi-professional and prestigious company in San Francisco. They called me with a Friday afternoon audition appointment, and asked me to prepare a ballad and a character song. Great! San Francisco is on my way home to Los Altos. I’ll stop, sing and continue on home for the weekend. I decided on two songs that were considered “in my pocket.” But, did I practice them in the three weeks I had to prepare? No. Did I even practice them on my way down? No, I didn’t have a handy dandy ipod, and the hanson cd was much more entertaining. Besides, I had performed these songs before.

I got to the building location right at the exact time of my audition, but this was pre-habitat years, and I obviously had not grasped the actual concept of parking in San Francisco. I thought - Crap. Now, I’m 15 minutes late and I have parked six blocks away. I RAN to my destination only to discover that the person scheduled after me was singing, and I had two minutes to collect myself to sing the two songs I had not rehearsed at all in the three weeks.

I went in sang my ballad. (I don’t remember what it was, thank God.) Then I sang my “character” song. Really, Beverley? Much More was the BEST you could come up with? For those of you who don’t know…MUCH MORE IS NOT A CHARACTER SONG! I realized it was not going to fly the moment I saw the directors face contort into this are-you-kidding-me- type of expression that is forever burned into my memory. I sang the songs – both badly, and hung my head in shame. While hearing the ever famous “Thank You,” I thought - ah, it was a bad audition, I’ll get it the next go around. Not knowing I was about to enter my two year performance hiatus, I was not to grace the stage singing until 2007 in a chorus role, and it would take FOUR YEARS for this company to even consider me for an AUDITION.

I got my second chance yesterday.

Lessons learned right?

Nope, not entirely, but I did get a callback this time - barely.

Beverley, you can not go into an audition with lipstick that makes you look like you stepped out of a Madonna music video from the 1980s. Remember to bring your own make up instead of rushing to Walgreens grabbing any brownish pink lipstick. You can not learn one of the songs that you're singing in an audition THE DAY BEFORE when you have had three weeks to learn it! GET IT TOGETHER.

Thursday, September 20, 2007

My 4 meme

I've been tagged by Suz. I must submit...

Unfortunately, my answers are not that interesting.


4 Jobs You’ve Had

1. I started my working career in retail at Pier One Imports when I was in high school, but just as any teenager tired of working would do, I got my honorary sister to call by boss pretending to be my mom saying I was too ill to come to work. Too bad the manager on duty at the time was in band with Ashley, and she caught on to our wheelings and dealings really fast. Needless to say, I quit not too much longer after that.

2. After that job, I moved on to Eriks Deli Cafe only for a SPLIT second of time, where I stood at a counter and took orders. Lukcily, I didn't have to make the sandwiches. You would not believe the amount of strange unwanted attention I would recieve. Some phone calls sounded like this:

"Hey, You took my order a couple of hours ago. Wanna go out?"
"Um," inner mon: Are you kidding? I'm 16, and I have NO IDEA who you are, and I'm kinda creeped out right now that you had to go through all this effort to look up the Cafe's phone number. Plus you assumed I would remember you.

3. The best job I ever had was in college; I was a bar-glass-collector-wine-and-champaign pourer at the Yacht Club for people's weddings. Well, it was for all kinds of parties, but mostly people's weddings. I LOVED listening to all that cheesy music over and over and over and over again. Plus, I had drunken guests begging me to dance even though I was dressed in a penguin suite , and I looked like a man. I even got to sing with the band once...that was crazy. I felt bad for that poor bride and groom. They were probably thinking, "I did not sign up for this."

4. Then I graduated college, and started working for a real estate company called Cushman & Wakefield. There I gained 15 pounds.

4 Films I Could Watch Again and Again

1. "The Princess Bride" - A couple of years ago, I could recite the whole thing.

2. "The Bird Cage" - It's so funny.

3. "Lilo and Stitch"

4. "Pride and Prejudice" BBC version

4 TV Shows I Watch

1. The Office - Please please please please please watch this. The episode where Dwight "can't find his desk" made me pee in my pants with laughter. (not really, but almost) I seriously had to press pause to finish laughing, and then continue to watch it. I can't even describe the hilarity that is The Office.

2. 24 - I try not to watch this at night any more...it gives me nightmares.

3. That's so Raven - Do not judge. It is very funny and Raven is crazy.

4. Anything on the Disney Channel. (Please do not mistake my tastes as license to assume that I would be a great babysitter. Just trust me on this one.)



4 Places I Have Lived


1. Jo-burg, South Africa (The first two years of my life COUNTS)

2. San Jose, CA

3. Rohnert Park, CA

4. San Francisco, CA

4 Favorite Foods

1. Italian Pastas

2. Chicken Fajitas

3. Cheese Fondue

4. Trader Joe's Jo Jo's

4 Websites I Visit Everyday


1. Gmail

2. Yahoo

3. hanson.net

4. Google

4 of my Favorite Colors

1. Red

2. Purple

3. Brown

4. Blue

4 Places I’d LIke to be Right Now

1. Italy

2. England

3. Spain

4. Australia

4 Names I Like But Wouldn’t or Couldn’t Use Myself

1. Jack - I would really like to use this name, but Pasha refuses to name his children after television shows. I told him that I'm sure his wife will be ok with that, but not me. :)

2. Ralph ----hahahhahaha ok, I hate this name, but it makes me laugh. Say it out loud 5 times fast, and tell me what it makes you think of.

3. Jamie - I just couldn't ever use this name. If my child ever saw my college diary...it just wouldn't go over well.

4. I can't say it.... I've always wanted to name my kids something completely and utterly inappropriate and derogatory just to see the reaction on the kindergarten teacher's face when I bring him or her into the classroom. I mean really, how would a teacher handle that? How would the teacher call roll? Oh, and the KIDS! HA What would they do?"

"Ms. Susie, Mommy says I am not allowed to say the word !@@#@#$#$@%@#$^, but what do I call !@@#$@%@'s?"
"That is @#@#$#@%@#$%@$%'s NAME!!"

It's too cruel. I couldn't and wouldn't do it. I don't want my child to get beat up...

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

No more Excuses, Missy!

I spend so much of my free time reading other people’s blogs and investing in other people’s creative abilities that I forget to invest in my own. This is why I decided…no more excuses…you are going to write your own blog today BEFORE you read all the gems out there in the universe, and you are going to stop living vicariously through others. So, here I am….fighting that the beautiful firefox icon down at the bottom of my screen….

I suppose this is the story of my life right now. I am being completely LAZY. Instead of moping around all weekend like a lamoface, I could have been indulging myself in all of the necessary activities that would make my life just a little bit easier right now.

I have two auditions this week – for both I am not prepared.

My friend Gianni and I are starring in our own cabaret show going up in two weeks, and I am struggling in a lot of the songs right now. Practice does not seem to make perfect this go around.

I am going into rehearsal for a show that is playing on Pasha’s birthday and his Christmas party – this I am trying to get excited about.

I am going to a wedding this weekend. AHA! I already got the wedding gift. YESSSS! However, I do have three birthdays that I have to prepare for and the Blue Angles party. All of these events are in the same week as the Cabaret show, and I have the Love Parade that week too.

Not to mention my house is DISGUSTING, and I have piles of laundry stacked higher than a college freshman’s.

Could I have done a lot of this over the weekend? Yes! What did I do instead? I watched about 8 hours of That’s so Raven, and I hung out with Rachael Ray and Ingrid on the Food Network.

Then I want to know why I am barely making the mediocre status in life, and living in a complete and utter pig-sty of a place called home?

On the up side, Rachael did teach me how to make this amazing Chicken Stoup! It is very easy and very relaxing. Plus, it was scrumptious. Pasha must have enjoyed it because he ate a whole bowl while we were watching De Ja Vu. It was a good movie, but now I’m going to get The Office Season 3, which I’ve been waiting three months for that to come out on video.

The Office Season 3 means that I will make two more excuses as to why I have not prepared for my auditions, and my house will remain a disgusting infirmary breeding bacteria. At least I’ll be laughing.

Oh, That’s So Beverley.

Monday, September 17, 2007

This weekend's chuckle...

Where did you get your iPhone?


Microsoft.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Don't call me - I'll call you.

Boyfriends should come with references….I’m serious, think about it for a second. I mean we interview for jobs a few times, a background check and then they check references. I think the boyfriend process should be very similar.

You go on lots of dates… (interviews)

Background check – well ugh…this could get ugly….so we’ll skip this step because it’s expensive, and it could…well, you’ll figure out if he’s committed state and federal crimes pretty quick, and if he claims he hasn’t…keep your eyes peeled for “If I Did It” books.

So, now here is the part where you check for references. You just ask for his last three girlfriends phone numbers. This is a brilliant plan because in can assist you in so many different ways.

I mean what if your boyfriend is a total family and non committal FREAK, you’ll find this out from little miss sunshines, and you won’t have to waste three years figuring it out!

What if you’re dating three guys at one time, and you’re worried that you’ll pick the wrong one. Again, you’ll just talk to little miss sunshines, and one of them will assist you.

Yes, most girls are crazy, so you’ll have to put your own crazyness aside for a second and really try and decipher the gold nuggets of information. You’re smart. You can do it.

This way, much less time will be wasted in life.

Boys, please don’t be offended by my post…just know that if your next lady interest asks for your references….you better hope that you have some good ones. ☺

Friday, September 14, 2007

Slience is Golden...

You can't blog about work...

this is just my friendly reminder.

Relationships

Things are rough right now, and life feels very unfunny.

All of the relationships in my life right now are the cause for great reflection, and it is not taking a lot these days to put me in an “emotional state” whether that be anger, hurt, sadness, and just a whole bunch of “feeling” crap.

I believe that all of our relationships can be put into two categories:

1) people that treat you like crap and
2) people that don’t treat you like crap.

Group 1 can be defined by really obvious examples like physical abuse. If someone hits you, that person treats you like crap. Right? WHY can’t there be obvious lines for emotional issues/concerns?

How do you know if events that are happening in your life are a reflection of your own personal self worth, self confidence, response to situations and emotional issues OR these people just belong in Group 1 and deserve to sit on the curb for the rest of eternity?


….AND NOT JUST ANY CURB….
they have to sit on a street curb of San Francisco that obviously has not been maintained since the 1920’s, and that has been covered with human feces for years and years and years and years and years and yeas with these obvious stipulations:

1) must drink water
2) must eat three times a day
3) must have minimal shelter

This is to allow for survival and ultimate suffering.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

This Trash Stinks

I'm down in the dumps today. Pash says its from lack of excersizing, but I think it might have something to do with the fact that I will be having our two year anniversary dinner alone because he doesn't feel like going. I really don't need "this date" to be a "big to do," but seriously...how fun does "table for 1" sound?

So, after checking my email from two different computers, I decided to peruse the internet (as usual) and I found this blog that gave me a little slap in the face. I found myself guilty of suplementing my own persecution....

I need a break today.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Computer Rehab?

Is there such thing as Computer Rehab because I think that I am addicted to my computer. Let me tell you about a typical day for me....

I wake up....and the first think I think about is my email. I mean seriously...checking my email was the very last thing that I did....is there really going to be a flux of emails sitting in my inbox? I apparently think so because I check it EVERY MORNING. I take a shower, make some coffee and get dressed. Pour myself a cup, and go back to the computer and check the other 4 email accounts. I then get into my car and drive 15 minutes to work.

When I get to work, I check my email...again....doesn't it concern anyone else that in the last 1.5 hours I have checked my email three times?!?!? Then I proceed to spend the next 7-9 hours sitting in front of the computer. Computer computer computer...typing away email, internet, the entire world sitting at my ten fingertips.

I get home from work, put my bag down, and I go to the computer and check my e-mail. I guess for an addict, checking your email from different locations and different computers within 15 minutes makes sense. Then depending on that evenings activty, I will leave the computer. However, if I am stuck at home doing nothing, I am sitting in front of the computer.....like tonight....even the disney channel's original movie is not entertaining me enough to keep me away from the computer. This is starting to concern me. Maybe I should hide my computers? I could ask Pash to come over and hide them. EEEK, but then I could end up like the disaster that is Britney Spears. I would like to keep my kids (my computers), keep my hair, keep my mom and keep wholesome image. So, if there is a computer rehab... I probably should check myself in, and stay longer than one day.

Ok, ok, ok... I should not make fun of others...especially since one all hollywood access episode does not make me an expert. I would like to take this opportunity to apologize publicly to BS. Since I know that BS does nothing but read my blog, please accept my apology...it's the computer....look what it's doing to my life.

Thursday, September 6, 2007

I'm Red

This quiz kinda creeped me out...not only is my favorite color actually red, but...



You Are a Red Crayon



Your world is colored with bright, vivid, wild colors.

You have a deep, complex personality - and you are always expressing something about yourself.

Bold and dominant, you are a natural leader. You have an energy that is intense... and sometimes overwhelming.

Your reaction to everything tends to be strong. You are the master of love-hate relationships.



Your color wheel opposite is green. Green people are way too mellow to understand what drives your energy.



Thanks www.theworldaccordingtosuz.com

MMMbopped straight to my heart

HANSON IS COMING TO TOWN!!!! I can hardly contain myself with all the excitement that I feel at this very moment. I think that I need to take dancing* breaks as I write this blog. There are three big things that concern me about the fact that they are coming. 1) I have rehearsal on the day that they will be here. This is Monday, November 5th. 2) I will drop out of the show if they don’t let me go to see this concert. 3) I have tickets to see a concert on November 6th to see Maroon 5. (I also have rehearsal.) There is no way that I can miss TWO days of rehearsal…especially since we open nov. 16th… What do I do? I’m DEFINATLY going to see Hanson, but I can not just up and tell my friend that I’m not going to see a concert that I was already going to see with her, but it’s HANSON!!!! They are only my all time favorite band since I was the mere age of 15. We are talking 10 years of dedication here… a true Fanson (Hanson fan) at heart. Should I seriously ask for TWO days off of rehearsal the week before we open? Please advise. (keep in mind that I’m a Fanson.)

I’m going to the Hanson concert. It’s already done. I am going to have to prepare for it… it’s going to be really overwhelming. Have you ever met a Fanson? I mean they are CRAZY. Most of the Hanson fans are older than you think because they have grown up with Hanson. So now they are in their 20s and 30s and FIERCE. I stood in line for a Hanson concert in Los Angeles from 6am in the morning until the concert at 8pm at night along with 700 other Fansons. These people do not have any issues with personal space and personal health for that matter. I mean people in the front were so smooshed from the pushing and shoving that they were passing out. Security guards were coming from who knows where and picking up these passed out 20 year olds. I would be devastated if I had waited in line for more than 12 hours only to be carried out for the concert.

So, standing in line for 12 hours, I’ll never do that again cause it was just a waste of time. However, I do have to practice standing for long periods of time because I’ll get into the line around 30 min before the line starts moving into the Fillmore venue, and then I have to stand around “holding” my space for 30 min before the concert starts. Then I have to stand and listen to the opening, and finally at 9pm.. Hanson will come on. I have to make sure that my legs aren’t tired because they are usually dying the time the headliner comes onto the stage. Not to mention I will have to deal with pushy Fansons…so I have to make sure that my elbows are sharp and exercised.

Wow. I am so excited.

*dancing: defined as jumping up and down in a spastic manor

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Honey I'm home...

…and I’m running like a mad woman. Already? It’s Wednesday. Yikes.

Tahoe was such a good time. After I posted on Friday, I realized that I in addition to forgetting my camera, I forgot my bathing suite. So, I had to go back for the suite, and I managed to remember to pick up my camera. TOO BAD I didn’t remember to CHARGE the battery for the camera. Oh Beverley! I did manage to get ONE good picture in, which I can’t share until the next blog post because I forgot my camera. What a shocker! 

Despite the six hour drive in bumper to bumper traffic, Pash and I arrived in time for drinks at the would-be-lodge in the winter time only to enjoy the sounds of the wonderful Luke Stevenson. He really didn’t look like a Luke, he should have been named Chuck. He sang a few of his favorite tunes quite well, and over and over and over again. The music was easily drowned out by the view of the lake while sitting by a bon fire with a glass of the best merlot I have ever had in my life in hand.

It was very relaxing, even staying in a 5 bedroom house with three bathrooms and 18 people. I know it sounds crazy, but it was fun and I still managed to get full nights sleep all three nights we stayed there.

The wedding itself was beautiful. It was your standard Catholic ceremony in a very beautiful church. You had to get past the loud motorcycles at times, and the crazy pianist who made the poor gorgeous singer sound AWFUL, but the very site of the groom laying eyes on his bride was so moving the rest was all forgotten!

The reception was incredible wonderful. It was right next to the lodge that we played at the night before, and the sun setting behind the lake was a view to die for. All the speeches were amazing, along with the food, and the abundance of alcohol made for an interesting night for some guests. Not for me, but for some other guests. For some reason, I ALWAYS wind up being a part of the most embarrassing part of the event. This trip was no exception. I got suckered into the middle of a circle that was made up of the ENTIRE WEDDINGS GUEST LIST, and swung around by a drunken man with one arm. Yeah. Everyone talked about that the rest of the weekend. It was pretty harmless, but still scary for me.

The next day we went on this amazing hike and swam in CLEAR water. I had to deal a little with the single guy’s syndrome that Pasha loves to be a part of at times. Sometimes I wonder…hello! Do you notice me?!? I’m standing right here did you really have to say that? I still did not let that get to me, and I enjoyed the rest of the amazing weather and weekend.

Can I go back? Now?


How about now?

Nope, I remain here in my cube working on the beauty of contracts.