Play it again, Sam

I'd like one of these again.

Books

I went to the library today. I think the last time I checked out some books from the good old library was before I went to Peru, so it's been a couple of months. Since the opera season is in full swing, I decided to get back into regular reading. I read a couple of books that I bought recently but now that they've been consumed, I needed to go to the library. I picked up a total of 17 books. Now you may be thinking that that's a lot of books to get at one time. Well, I guess it is but I have a method to my madness. You see, I like to pick up whatever intrigues me and then I take them home and decide what to read. I may read all of them, or a may not. I inherited this method from my mom and I think it works pretty well. While there, an older gentlemen commented that I sure had a lot of books and did I think I was going to read them all in the next 3 weeks (the amount of time you can have a book checked out)? I replied that you really never know. All in all, it was a productive trip to the library. 

P.S. If you want to keep up on what I'm reading, check out the sidebar to my blog. ;o)

I love, love, love popcorn!!!

Take one of these:

Some of this:

This:

And this:

And VOILA!!!

You've got a delicious bowl of fluffly buttery goodness!

*I eat popcorn just about every Sunday night and then some other nights in between. I just love it! My mom grew up on popcorn and she started us young on it. Only one of my brothers really took to it like me and his family carries on the Sunday night tradition as well. There is a difference between my mom and me though. I choose air-popped over stove-popped, which just happens to be the way my dad likes it too! 

On a hot summer evening

On a hot summer evening, sometimes all you need is a good sno cone, some good company, and a couple of hours to sit and chat. I love those evenings!

*My flavor dujour: coconut Yum!!!

Lazy Days

Sometimes you just need to have a lazy day. This day should include sleeping in, eating sugary cereal for breakfast, watching old tv shows from your childhood, and wearing your pjs until the middle of the day. Other possible things to do on this day could be reading a book that you've wanted to dig into for a while, watching a movie you wouldn't normally watch but which you happened to get from your Netflix queue the other day and you've finally had the time to watch, waiting until afternoon to take a shower and get dressed (but only getting dressed in some really comfortable clothes), playing a couple rounds of Mahjong Titans that your nephew, who came to visit you awhile back, is really into and you actually took the time to try it out, and texting your best friend "Happy Bastille Day" because even though you are not French, nor do you speak a lick of French, you know it would hopefully make her chuckle inside.
These lazy days are crucial to your mental health, especially when your coming off a high-energy filled stretch of long work days that have left you half-exhausted. The trick however, is not to have too many of these lazy days or else you become, in fact, lazy. Space them out strategically so that they become what they truly should be-days of recuperation whereby you can awaken the next day and set about on your quest to conquer whatever you set your mind to.
So thank you 14 July for being my lazy day. It's almost 3:00 in the afternoon. I've pretty much done nothing all day and it's felt great. Tomorrow I promise to get back to real life--searching for a job, doing RS stuff, and tackling anything else that comes up. But for today, I'm just going to kick back, relax, and enjoy whatever comes my way!

The hills are alive with the sound of....shaving?

We opened the 2010 season of Utah Festival Opera this past thursday. The starting line-up went as follows: The Barber of Seville, Guys and Dolls, The Sound of Music, and La Traviata. As far as I know, everything went pretty smooth. It feels so great to have the shows up and running. It's been really great not to have to work 12-14 hours a day for the past couple of days. Life will be even better once we get George M! up and running.
This past Wednesday, I took in the season opening hit performance of The 4 Pianists. Four of our rehearsal pianists put on a concert and it was so amazing! I hope this year was the kick-off of an annual event for them.
I'm also looking forward to a night of Lerner and Loewe classics, Carnivale Operafesta, and Musica Magnifica. 
It's highlights and exciting events like these that make working for the opera worth it. Though it's stressful and tiring at times, once we get up and running, it's so fun to be able to soak in all the culture I can for a month. I've been at the opera for 10 years and I don't regret a minute of it!
Toi, toi, toi 2010 artists, technicians, and staff!!!

America: Why I love her

The 4th of July Weekend is one that I've missed for a long time. I've usually been working, working, working to get shows up and running. Until last night, I hadn't seen the firewarks in at least 5 years. The birthday of this wonderful nation goes all but unnoticed in the UFO world, which is really too bad. This year however, things worked out wonderfully and my dress reharsals fell at the perfect time, allowing me to get in some holiday celebrations and see the fireworks. It's been wonderful.
I love this country we call America. It's creation was divinely inspired  and "with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence" the problems she faces can be overcome. I've had the opportunity to stand in some pretty special places in the history of this nation and it's only served to strengthen my love for the United States. We have a special country here and I hope I never take that for granted. So America, I wish you a happy birthday and pledge to you my life, my fortune, and my sacred honer with the resolve to proudly stand up next to anyone and defend you because there ain't no doubt I love this land. God Bless the USA!

I also love this:



And this:

Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave
 
And this: