Ethereal Harmonies

Hello all! I'm just dropping in for a second to let you know that a YouTube video of the Spring Mostly Opera concert is now up! It's of the end of the fourth act of La Boheme in which I play the role of Musetta. Check it out, especially since my voice has changed quite a bit since the recording of my CD. Please leave feedback! =) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWeDcoHXlvA As soon as this week dies down, I going to try and upload a few more videos of some of my recent performances, and also to get a good blog entry up here as well!

Hello all!

I hope everyone is enjoying the splendid fall weather as much as I am. It is such a joy driving to school in the morning and seeing the fall foliage in it's resplendent glory. The trees are all the most gorgeous shades this year- Sunny yellow, deep crimsons, and warm oranges. The best part is driving through the Montage area on I-81 and watching the sun peek over the top of the mountain lighting up sections at a time, while other parts are still obscured by a misty veil of fog. *sigh* I love how God clothes our world so beautifully! :)

Well, things are starting to get down to the wire. This coming Friday is the Mostly Opera concert, entitled "Phantoms of the Operetta" and featuring the music of Victor Herbert, Sigmund Romberg, and Rudolf Friml. I believe there are still tickets available at this point in time, but you do have to purchase them in advance.

The performance is at the Radisson in Scranton, PA, on Friday, October 30 at 6PM.  Tickets are $55 for dinner and the show, and tickets can be purchased by calling- 570.346.3693.

After this performance, I've got to start polishing up the handful of pieces I'm doing for a professional gig I'm doing down in Florida. Yes, you read that correctly- Florida, as in the Sunshine State. :D

I've been hired, along with my piano-playing husband (:D) to perform for a Fund-raising dinner for the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter's new parish in Florida.- www.fssp.org

It's rather exciting because it's the first out-of-state gig I've ever had! I'm polishing up a few pieces for it- Romberg's Romance, Mozart's Non so piu, cosa son, from the Marriage of Figaro, Mascagni's Ave Maria, and possibly a few others, but I haven't decided on them.

Anthony's been preparing the Third Movement from Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, and I must say that it's coming along beautifully. He's going to play it as his big solo number for the night.

ACK! I've got to go, but I'll be back soon to finish the update!

Good evening/morning everyone!

I am so happy that we have fall break this week! It's only two days off of school, but it's two days that are a bit less hectic than usual, at least. I just wish I could have taken work off for those days. Maybe then I'd actually get something accomplished... *sigh*

Things at work have been exceedingly busy, due to the prices of precious metals being at an all time high. This has effected all of the facets of the business, not just the gold buying part. Gold is so expensive now, that instead of buying new jewelry, everyone's been pulling out their broken stuff to get it fixed. So instead of spending my days setting up new engagement ring mountings and the like, I'm trying desperately to match stones in tennis bracelets, earrings, pendants, rings, etc, etc. Don't get me wrong, pickings stones isn't really hard or anything, it's just really time consuming. Let's just look at picking out an Emerald as an example. First off, you have to determine the quality of the emerald and find the stones matching that quality. (Thankfully, most of the emeralds I see are within the two or three bottom quality ranges, so there's not much to pick from.) Next, you have to determine the size of the stone. If it's a round stone I have to find out if it's a radiant/laser cut type stone or more of a jelly bean (deep bottom/pavilion with an irregular shape). Then comes the color. And emeralds vary in color from a dark forest green to a light grassy green depending on the stone and every shade in between. It can take up to 15 minutes just to find one stone for a piece sometimes. Or longer, if the customer is particular about having an exact match.

Ok, well, I'll stop boring you with jewelry information. :-D

On the music front I've been pretty busy, even outside of school. Right now I'm preparing for the Fall concert for Mostly Opera. This year the show is called "The Phantoms of the Operetta," and will feature the 'ghosts' of Sigmund Romberg, Victor Herbert, and Rudolf Friml. They were each composers from the beginning of the 20th century and their music was especially popular for the movies of the 1920's and 1930's. I'm singing two solos as well as participating in all of the chorus numbers. My solos are both pieces by Sigmund Romberg- "Romance" from The Desert Song and "One Kiss" from The New Moon. For both pieces the character is a sassy, strong-willed young lady, just waiting for her knight in shining armor to come and sweep her off her feet. They are gorgeous pieces and both are very technically difficult.

They've been good for me, because they've forced me to really take a look at my technique and pinpoint some of the key areas I've been having trouble with. And not only identifying those areas, but then proceeding to fix those areas. Both songs lay fairly high in my register, so I've been working really hard to keep my voice free and loose, and not to allow my jaw to get tight, especially on the high notes. (Both songs stick around the high F-G-A range..)

Speaking of high notes, I'm really happy with the progress I've been having with my range. I've been getting my high C's for the last few weeks, which makes me SO happy, because I thought that they were gone forever. Occasionally, they're a bit under pitch, but I'm learning now that it has a lot to do with the amount of tension I have in my voice. The more relaxed I am, the easier and more clear the note is to hit, and the more accurate I am.

I am determined to have them perfect by the time Good Friday rolls around so that I can nail the solo in the Allegri Miserere Mei, Deus.

On a scholastic note, mid-terms are pretty much over, and I've already learned that I aced my music theory mid-term!! YAY!! *dances happily* =D I only have one mid-term left, and that's for vocal repertoire class on Wednesday. We're having a recital at 4pm in the Sette LaVerghetta Building, and I'm singing "Romance" as a trial run for the Mostly Opera concert.

Unfortunately, my eyelids are protesting my attempts to stay awake any longer, and thus I must be getting on my way. I'm really going to try to be more regular with this thing, especially considering that I didn't get to tell you about everything that's going on yet. Until next time!!

Wow.

I can hardly believe that a whole month of school has gone by already. *whistes* It's amazing how time flies when you're having fun...

Yes, I did say that. School is fun. :) Especially music school! :) :)

So far things are going really well. I'm managing to pull off an A average in all of my classes and I'm SO happy about that. Music Theory is difficult at times, but my grades are still pretty high even though I'm doing my homework at 12AM. *sigh* There are not enough hours in the day...

I did get my grades for those two papers I mentioned in my last post. I got a B+ on the fluffy, core values paper. I would have done better except for that our teacher is just a little OCD, and required an 11 pt font (!), and of course my program only has even numbered fonts. So, I did the paper in 10 pt, filled 1 7/8 of the 2 pages I was supposed to write, and got points taken off because the font wasn't 11 pt and because I didn't comepletely fill the two pages. Seriously! Just for the heck of it, I changed the paper over to 12 pt, and the paper filled almost 3 pages. *sigh* I guess I should have used the larger font size.... Oh, and did I mention that this teacher wants two copies of every paper? Yeah, one single-spaced and one double-spaced. *rolls eyes*

But on a better note, I totally aced the Literary Narrative! "A+! Gold Star!" as my piano teacher would say. *W00T* :-D What made me even happier is that I wrote the thing at like 2 AM and didn't really proofread the thing, except for basic grammar and spelling. So either I was exceptionally lucky that time, or I'm actually better at writing than I give myself credit for.... *scratches chin and wonders*

Anyway, as a bit of a treat, I'm going to post the Literary Narrative in question for your reading enjoyment. Let me know what y'all think of it. It's got quite a bit of potential, I think, and may even serve as the basis for this years NaNo Novel.... (yeah, I know. I'm crazy, right?)

Well, I've got to get back to work, but without further ado, here is the Literary Narrative...

     Golden rays of afternoon sunlight poured through the open windows, warming Lara’s back as she sat in stunned silence on the floor of her living room. A gentle breeze wafted past the diaphanous sheer curtains, ruffling the ends of her long, dark hair. The subtle movement was all but ignored by the young woman, her attention entirely focused on the object cradled in her hands. 

    A sob escaped her lips and her shoulders trembled as a deep sadness washed over her. She knew it was too late to look back; the damage had already been done. With heated words and a proud heart, Lara had pushed away the one true love in her life.

    She idly wondered if Robert had moved on with his own life. She knew that he deserved to be happy, even happier than he had been with her. Lara bitterly blamed herself for every bad thing that had passed between them.

    Lara was so absorbed in her thoughts that she hardly heard the telephone ringing in the kitchen. At the last minute she jumped up and ran to the phone, only to find that the machine had already picked up. She paid passing attention to the answering machine as she sought out a tissue to dry her eyes.

    The object of her search on hand, Lara started to return to the living room when the voice on the answering machine made her pause.

    “I’m guessing I still have the right number…” Disbelief flooded her and Lara stood rooted to her spot, hanging on every word the serene, baritone voice said.

    “Well, um… Anyway, I was thinking about us today, I mean you, that is.” A chuckle resonated through the kitchen. “It has been two years to the day, after all…”

    Lara’s eyes darted to the calendar hanging on the wall. It was June thirteenth, two years exactly…

    “I guess what I’m trying to say,” the voice continued, “is that I haven’t forgotten about you, Lara. I can understand if you don’t want to talk to me, but if you do…”

    Frantically, Lara jumped for the phone. How could he think that she wouldn’t want to talk to him? She had caused all the problems after all. But that didn’t matter right now; all she wanted was to talk to him.

    “Hello? Robert?” she asked into the receiver, anxiety gripping her heart. There was a long silence on the other line.

    Finally, she heard Robert take a deep breath. “Hey,” he said, and Lara could hear the smile in his voice.

    “Hey,” she replied, grinning broadly. “I’ve missed you, too.”

Well, my dear readers, the first two weeks of school have absolutely flown by. Already I'm being challenged and learning many new things. Music Theory is probably my hardest class, at this point. Unfortunately, my knowledge of theory is very limited, and I'm having to do a lot of work right up front because the stuff we're 'reviewing' is stuff that I don't know. *sigh* It's definitely testing my memorization skills, and I must say that our Professor is very good at explaining everything.

I think my favorite class so far is Class Piano. Our teacher, Ms. Koch, is the most wonderful piano teacher I have ever met. She is so pleasant and just full of energy. I really think that the only word to describe her is effervescent. I really look forward to class with her! :-)

I've already had two paper to write (groan), but thankfully one of them was a literary narrative( aka a story), which made it considerably easier for me to write. The second paper was mostly a fluff paper about Marywood's core values and what they mean to me. Talk about a snooze-fest, but I got it done, and I think I did an admirable job of being fluffy. LOL. I'm just curious to see what my grades come back as...

Well, I think that's about all for now, as I must get back to cleaning my house. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! =)

Yikes! Where has the time gone? The last month has literally flown by!

I think what's helped to speed things along is all of the preparations for back-to-school. I can't believe that I start next Monday! I'm so excited!! =) I've purchased all of the necessary school supplies- netbook, messenger bag, notebooks, pens, highlighters, etc. I've also ordered all of my textbooks, which should be coming sometime this week. I'm only missing one so far, and I have to pick that up at Marywood on Thursday when I go in for orientation. I've already gotten my parking permit and student ID, so at this point I'm like two steps ahead of all the commuter students. It's a huge weight off of my shoulders to know that all of that stuff is taken care of already. Like I said, I'm only waiting on that last textbook and then I'm totally prepared. =)

This first semester is going to be pretty crazy though. I've got 10 classes, and three days out of the week I'll have to go into Scranton twice. I'm just glad that I can keep my job though. My employer is being very gracious and flexible with my hours. Deo gratias!

Musically, I haven't really been doing much since Oops! closed. I just want to enjoy the last few weeks (now only a week!) until school starts, so I've been busy catching up with all of my friends and basically having fun until August 31 finally comes along. I did get hired to sing a wedding 2 weeks ago, which went well. I've also been hired to sing for a Red Hat Banquet sometime in October and I'm working on putting together a cabaret act with the musical director from Oops!. Goodness, if I could just figure out what I'd like to sing we'd make some real progress. *rolls eyes*

Well, I must sign off for the evening. Good night, all! =)

Good afternoon everyone!

I hope that you all have been enjoying the summer as much as I have!! Things have been hectic, but in a good way!

Most importantly, tonight is the opening of the show I'm in at the Grove Theatre in Nuangola, PA. It's entitled 'Oops!'- a change from the originally scheduled 'Red Hot & Cole.' Due to unforseen difficulties, we weren't able to do the show that we had planned, so last Saturday we started working on putting together a new show for our eager audiences.

'Oops!' is essentially a review of Broadway through the years. We've incorporated a lot of Cole Porter's music into the show to try and stay with our original theme, but we've mixed it up with songs from shows like 'Carousel,' 'Phantom of the Opera,' 'Top Hat,' and even 'Spamalot!'

It's a fun-filled two hours, complete with rousing chorus numbers, a few out-of-hand divas, and toe-tapping dance numbers.

Our wonderful music director, Michele Millington, does a beautiful job at the piano, and has offered inspired direction to all of our singers, really helping us to bring the right flavor to the show.

Our director, Joe Sheridan, is an amazing sight to behold, as he balances many roles- Director, Master of Ceremonies, Singer, Dancer, and even Set building.

The cast is rounded out with the talents of Hollie Major, Eileen Rosen, Mimi Addoms, TJ Major, Ashlee Danko, Marty Weitz, Linda Thomas, and myself.

There's a lot of audience participation and it's Bring Your Own Bottle for those who really want to get into the swing of things!

The show runs July 24, 25, 26, 31 and August 1 & 2. Friday and Saturday performances are at 8pm and the Sunday matinee is at 3pm.

Tickets are $20 and you can make reservations with the box office at this number- 570-208-7679

For more information you can visit the Theatre's webpage here: www.nuangola-grove.com/

The show is rated PG for some mild language and one song with a non-explicit adult theme.

Hello All!!

I'm am shocked to find that  yet another month has passsed between posts! Life certainly has been crazy in the past few weeks! My little brother received his First Holy Communion at the beginning of May, work has steadily been getting crazier, and in general things have been hectic. It's a good thing that I'm busy, but it leaves me with little time for posting on my blog!

Today I've got a HUGE announcement to make...

I'm going to Boston this weekend to audition for American Idol!! The auditions are on Sunday, and I'd like to ask for prayers that I do well! I have a really good feeling about this, so I'm hoping that something good will happen. I've been feeling lately like I'm on the threshold of something big happening, something life changing. I don't know if this may be it, or if I'm just feeling that way beacuse school is coming up. Either way, my woman's intuition is tingling, and I've found it's rarely without a reason.

I've been preparing all week for the auditions- singing in the shower, in the car, even at work! :-O lol My co-workers don't mind though. They're very supportive, which is so encouraging!!

I've got bits from five songs prepared- This Kiss  by Faith Hill, I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor, Bleeding Love  by Leona Lewis, Dark Eyed Molly by Archie Fisher ( it was on my CD, I'm just modernizing it a hair), and My Immortal by Evanescence. I've got a good mix of different genres and styles, plus the parts that I'm singing have a nice show of range and technique.

*sigh* I must get back to work. I'll have internet access while on the trip, so I'm going to try and keep everyone updated while I'm there. :-D

During the last few crazy weeks, I've also been working on a project- setting up an official website for my music. The website is now up and running, and check it often for updates!

www.marcellemcguirk.com

I can't believe that a whole month has gone by since I posted last! And what a month it has been!

Man of La Mancha closed after 6 wonderful performances. It was a good time for all involved and I'm really glad to have met such talented people!

After that, Holy Week was upon us, which (Deo gratias!) went without a hitch. Then I was working hard to prepare for the Eisteddfod and the Mostly Opera concert at the end of the month.

In the middle of the preparations, I was contacted by The Grove Theatre in Nuangola to audition for the show Red Hot & Cole, which they'll be putting on at the end of July. I love Cole Porter's music, so I jumped at the chance to audition. I went and was cast on the spot!! And even better than that- it's a paying gig! I'm now a professional actress! :-D I'll post details about show times when I find out more.

Before I knew it, the Eisteddfod was upon me, and I was frantically trying to decide what to sing. I think I figured it out about 4 days before the competition. I ended up singing I have Confidence from The Sound of Music for my soprano solo and When I am Laid in Earth  from the opera Dido and Aeneas for my challenge solo. I rehearsed like crazy Saturday morning, and the practice paid off, because I took first place for both songs!! The adjudicator especially liked I Have Confidence. She said that she had no criticism for it. I sang well and my transition between registers was smooth. She also said that she felt like she was watching the movie!! She did think I sang the Dido and Aeneas piece a little too lightly for type of music it was, but otherwise had nothing else to critique.

The next day was the Mostly Opera concert, and I had to become Musetta. We had a full house for the performance, and we all sang exceptionally well. When our director gets back from vacation she's going to send us pictures from the show. I'll be sure to post them when she sends them.

And now here we are in May! I'm in the midst of the whirlwind of preparations for our Spring Social tomorrow, and I still don't know what to wear!! =( I'm going to have to raid my closet tonight.

I'm taking a bit of a reprieve from theatre until the Cole Porter show in July. I've just been doing too much, and I need to chill and enjoy the summer before I jump into school in the fall.

Speaking of school, my scholarships have been finalized and as of last Wednesday, I am officially enrolled for the fall semester at Marywood University. I'm so excited to start!!

Well, I guess that's about all for today. I hope everyone has a great weekend!! =)

Hello Everyone!!

I just wanted to share with you all the review of Man of La Mancha that is in this weekend's edition of Electric City/Diamond City. Without further ado, the review....


Reason to dream
Curtain Call
Review: Man of La Mancha a delightful show
By Alicia Grega-Pikul

The Tony Award-musical Man of La Mancha by Dale Wasserman (book), Joe Darion (lyrics) and Mitch Leigh (music) debuted on Broadway in 1965 boasting a sympathetic brand of righteousness that just so happened to apply to the political confusion of a country at war in Vietnam and struggling for civil rights. Its call to action remains notably relevant today as we long for “change” in the Obama era.

The play within a play format utilizing common prisoners as storytellers is one that bodes well for community theatre productions. Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre opened a well-sung stab at the windmill under the direction of Tony Alberti last weekend despite a broken boiler that saw audience members cozy in their coats, sipping on complimentary hot beverages at intermission. Performances continue Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. All tickets are $18.

The show finds Cervantes as an actor/tax collector charged by the Spanish Inquisition with trying to collect, according to the law, from a monastery. When his fellow prisoners charge him with being an idealist, a bad poet and an honest man, he’s forced to defend his manuscript in order to save it. I would have liked to see more defined characters for these prisoners as they assume roles in the story of Alonso Quijana.

A dying old man who’s lost his mind over the injustices and ugliness of the modern world, Quijana retreats into a world of his own imagination in which chivalry is not so rare. An errant knight on a quest for beauty and goodness, Don Quixote is accompanied by a manservant who can’t help but like the old man despite his delusions.

Even if you don’t find Joe Sheridan’s presence quite suitable to Cervantes/Quijana, there’s no denying his conviction in the role. Thomas Major is a gem as sidekick Sancho Panza. Thoughts of Jason Lee’s brother Randy on NBC’s My Name Is Earl vanish as he sings with stunning skill and delivers his “belly full of proverbs” with appropriate comic timing. It’s not long before they meet the maid and part-time whore Aldonza (Ashlee Elizabeth Danko) at a run-down road side inn, which Quixote sees as a castle. He elevates her to the position of a noble, virtuous lady much to the confusion of the innkeeper (Greg Korin), his wife and the coarse mule keepers passing through. The young Danko tackles difficult rhythms with gusto. Less savage than called for, she errs on the side of pretty.

Kevin Holbert’s amplified acoustic guitar is an ideal match for the sentimental, Spanish dance-inspired score. The percussion is disappointing with no significant castanets, maraca or finger cymbals, and the small four-piece orchestra struggles too often to match the score’s tricky time signatures to the actors’ (Sheridan, in particular) self-determined pace.

Particularly pleasing among Quijana’s fearful family are Marcelle M. McGuirk as niece Antonia and Cathy Alaimo as the housekeeper. Their duet “We’re Only Thinking of Him” is a highlight. Richard Brandreth is adorable as the compassionate Padre, tugging heartstrings with “To Each His Dulcinea.” Gerard Angeli is falsely fierce as prosecuting prisoner Duke but his singing via Dr. Carrasco is exceptional.

It’s a pipe dream, perhaps, that even the most skillfully told tale might emancipate prisoners from the chains of conformity borne without resistance, but it’s one Man of La Mancha thankfully reminds us to keep dreaming.

-agrega@timesshamrock.com

Hello all!

Happy Feast of the Annunciation! =)

I hope everyone's Lent is going well so far (if that's not an oxymoron lol).

Things here have been good. Opening weekend for La Mancha went REALLY well! Dress rehearsal...well... that wasn't so hot, but we totally made up for it opening night! We have pick-up rehearsal tomorrow night to prepare us for our second and final weekend. Once again, I'm being plagued by sadness as yet another awesome show comes to a close. I'm really going to miss everyone in the cast once it's all over. They've been so much fun and SO welcoming to me.  I'm going to make sure I thoroughly enjoy this weekend. =)

Things here at work have been really busy, which is good considering the economy. But it has also left me with very little time to do other things. We got a light box so that we could take better pictures for e-bay, and I haven't even had an opportunity to really use it yet.  =( I guess I'm just going to have to work faster at the other things.

Well, that's about all for today. Have a great Feast day!! =)

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!! =) And happy birthday, to me!! heehee It's so great being Irish and being born on St. Patrick's Day! =)

I did go snowboarding on Saturday., and I just need to say that my new snowboard is AWESOME!!!! The weather was nice, there was hardly anyone on the mountain, and my learning curve improved drastically. I think having such a responsive board had a lot to do with it, as well as getting a lesson from an awesome teacher! This weekend is the last of the season, so I know where I'll be on Saturday! =)

So far, my birthday is going well. I've received multitudinous good wishes from my friends, and the day is only going to get better from there! =)

The only thing to mar the day so far was a very unlucky accident earlier this morning. I was on Facebook, and the 'Find you Friends' box caught my attention. It occurred to me to look and see if a friend of mine was on Facebook or not. This said friend and I parted ways almost 3 years ago, and it wasn't a very amicable parting. In fact this friend told me that they didn't want me to contact them ever again. I've so far respected their wish, even though it has been really difficult to do so at times. So, I entered my friend's e-mail address into the box to see if they were on Facebook or not, and instead of search results, I got a notification saying that my Facebook invitation to them was sent successfully! You cannot imagine how distressed I was by this. I think my heart may have even skipped a few beats. The last thing I want is to make this friend more upset with me, especially if they think that I purposefully went against their wishes. *sigh* I just really hope nothing bad comes of my mistake...

On a lighter note, rehearsals for Man of La Mancha are coming along well. Things are really starting to come together, especially since we're getting costumes and props now. And tonight we're going to have the other musicians there along with the pianist, which will help us get a feel for how the music is going to sound during performances.

Well, that's about it for today. Have a great day everyone! =)

Hello everyone! I hope you're all gearing up for an awesome weekend. I know I am! Thankfully this week it got cold enough for the mountains to blow snow, which means that I'll be snowboarding tomorrow!! YAY! And what makes it even better, is the fact that I'll get to use my new snowboard for the first time! My husband bought me a Burton Feather for my birthday. It's so cool! I can't wait to try it out! =)

I got terrific news in the mail this morning, as well! I got a letter from Marywood University saying that I've been awarded the IHM Scholarship and a Talent Scholarship! The two scholarships will cover half of my yearly tuition!!!!! I am so excited and very happy!

Also, for those of you who were interested, I have the show dates and times for Man of La Mancha. They are as follows-

Performance dates-
Saturday, March 21- 8pm
Sunday, March 22- 3pm

Friday, March 27- 8pm
Saturday, March 28- 8pm
Sunday, March 29- 3pm

All tickets $18.00

Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre
537 N. Main Street
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702

(570) 823-1875

Cast & Production Crew
---------------------------------
Tony Alberti, Director
Hollie Major, Musical Director
Kevin Holbert & Adam Orseck, Technical Directors
Cathy Alaimo & Tony Alberti, Costumers.

CAST:
Joe Sheridan-Don Quixote/Cervantes
Ashlee Danko-Aldonza/Dulcinea
TJ Major-Sancho Panza/Manservant
Gerard Angeli- The Duke/Sanson Carrasco
Marcelle McGuirk-Antonia
Cathy Alaimo-Housekeeper
Richard Brandreth-Padre
Greg Korin- Governor/Innkeeper
Doug Hertel-Barber
Mary Ann Ulichney-Maria
Bill Ulichney-Captain of the Inquisition
Fermina-Raquel Smith.
FEMALE CHORUS: Roberta Brandreth, Ashley Thomas, Amanda Brooks, Janara Koehler.
MALE CHORUS: Ryan Hertel, Matthew Kurtz, Kyle Boyes, Kevin Beleski, Mason Riepert.

Have a great weekend everyone!! =)

Hello all!

I hope everyone is enjoying the nice weather we've been having. I've got mixed feeling about the early spring we seem to be getting. On one hand it makes for nice driving weather and less salt to dirty the Stang's beautiful color. On the other hand, it means that the snow is melting and the snowboard season is over. *sniff* I didn't get to go  enough this season. I'm just hoping we'll get a another week or two of colder weather so that Elk Mt. will still be worth driving up to.

Good news for the theatre! We're back to rehearsing at Little Theatre for La Mancha!! The boiler isn't fixed, but they were able to rent space heaters to warm the place up. I'm so glad to be working in the performance space again! We're starting to get down to the wire with rehearsals now. We had to be off book for last night, which made me happy. I find that I can't make any progress with my line delivery and 'get' my character's motivations until the book is out of my hand. You have no idea how distracting it is to have to act with it. So, I'm finally warming up to Antonia and I'm pretty comfortable with most of what I'm doing. I've just got a few minor line glitches and one phrase in the song that are still irking me. I have to spend some time working on them.

LOL! People have made some strange observations about me in the last week or so. I'm not quite sure why, and in short, one is rather puzzling. For starters, I was told that I'm a 'Happy meal toy!' :-D I laughed so hard at that one! One of my friends (you know who you are!) was visiting my sister, and I dropped by unexpectedly. So, said friend, upon leaving, commented that her day with my sister was such a treat, like a happy meal, and I was like the Happy Meal Toy- aka. the added surprise. =) So cute!

The other comment was that I am 'full of contradictions'. That's the puzzling one... It was a random statement made, after someone found out that I was homeschooled. What homeschooling and contradictions have to do with each other I'm not sure. I'm curious to know what they meant...

Well, that's about all for today. Have a good Tuesday, everyone! =)

Just a few minutes ago I was disgusted to learn that our new President is going to over-turn the ban on Embryonic Stem Cell research. www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/06/obama.stem.cell/

The radio announcer I heard it from, Mr. Steve Corbett (a definitely liberal news radio program host), who is also decidedly anti-Obama, was praising Obama's decision to over-turn the ban. He said that he didn't believe that it was ending a human life to destroy and embryo. He said it was wrong of the government to bar the progress of scientific research, and he said that we all would come to see that the decision of Obama was the right one, because of the benefits we'd all receive from said research.

What I want to know is, since when is it the Government's job and duty to fund scientific research? Especially when said research is morally questionable? Why am I going to be forced to fund a program that I am opposed to? And I'm sorry Mr. Corbett, regardless of the benefits that may come out of it (we have yet to see any thus far), but the ends never justify the means. Democrats have accused Bush of putting politics over science, but what the Democrats is doing is even worse. They're putting science over human life and morality. Since when has that been acceptable? I don't care if the embryonic stem cells find us a cure for cancer; it will never justify the taking of an innocent human life.

Please everyone pray especially hard this weekend, that some way will become available to over-turn Obama's decision to put science over morality, at the cost of countless human lives, and to be paid for out of our pockets!

Hello all!

I hope everyone is enjoying the loveley weather! Well... I know that most of us heard the forecast and groaned... I on the other hand rejoiced, because it means that there's going to be snowboarding in my schedule this week!! Yay for fresh powder!! =)

This weekend was great for me. I got to go ice skating twice (extreme happiness!! Once at the rink and then on our pond!), went out with a group of awesome friends, and had an awesome rehearsal! Oh, and I got to visit with my family twice this weekend, which meant getting to spend time with my beautiful little godson. He's such a cutie, especially with his fuzzy head full of hair! What could make me happier? I'm not sure there's much else. =)

I read a new book last week- The Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier. It was an interesting piece of historical fiction and it completely drew me in. I could hardly put it down until I was finished. I love books like that. I'm just sorry that I probably won't be able to watch the movie.

Our choir is starting to prepare the music for Holy Week, which is always exciting. It's difficult for me this year, though, being that I'm the lone alto. It's going to make voicing some of the larger pieces tough. It's actually pretty funny, because for the first time, the men in the choir outnumber the ladies (or namely, me. :-/) lol We've finally got a good, strong tenor and bass section, and as usual, the sopranos are overflowing. hee hee :-) It's far too tempting to just shout the alto line to be sure I'm heard sometimes, so it definietly challenges me to be on my own. I have to be even more sensitive towards what everyone else is doing, and be even more sure of my pitches and phrasing (especially since there's no one else to cover up any breaths that I take.)

Well, that's about all for today. I hope everyone has a good Monday!! =)

The following bit came to me out of the blue (like the munchies) a few nights ago. I though I'd share it with you all. Have a great weekend!


For me, getting the creative bug is like having the munchies.

Hello all!

I just wanted to post a picture from little Evan Joseph's christening for you all to enjoy. More baby pictures to follow! =)

Hello all!

First off, thank you everyone for your prayers! The Reillo family has been able to find a place to stay until their house is rebuilt or they purchase another. Deo gratias!

Secondly, I received a letter the other day saying that I've been accepted to Marywood University's Music Program!!! :-) I guess they liked my audition! Yay! I am so very excited! I wanted to jump up and down when I read the letter the first time. It is so exciting!!

Not much has been going on around here of late, especially since I've been working so much between by new job and having to tie up all the loose ends from the store. I did go snowboarding for the second time on Saturday and I had a terrific time! One of my friends got me to actually go to the top of the mountain with him. It was kinda scary at first, but I'm really glad that I did it. I'm not as frightened anymore, and the long run gave me much more opportunity to practice my technique versus the bunny slope (and also more opportunity to fall!! lol) I did fall plenty of times, and one was especially hard (ouch!), but hey, no pain, no gain, right? :-D Besides, it was nothing that a good night's sleep didn't fix. I can't wait to go again!

Unfortunately for the cast of La Mancha, the boiler at the theatre broke!!! So, we lost a week's worth of rehearsals, and now we're rehearsing in Luzerne, at the dance studio where I take Tap and Ballet. It's a bit smaller in the studio than it is on Little Theatre's stage, but what can you do? We're all just hoping that it'll be fixed before we have to start tech week....

Well, I've got to get back to work. Have a great day!