Turning 30

So, I have been 30 for over a week now. I think what amused me the most about turning 30 was other people's reactions. "Are you ok?" "Wow, 30!" "It's ok, you'll survive!" I kind of had to chuckle when I heard this stuff!

I was excited to turn 30! I mean, my 2o's were way better than my teens, so I feel like I have nothing but good stuff to look forward to. I feel like life can only get better! I am settled with the best husband ever. I have a fantastic job. We have our first baby on the way. I feel like I am more set to deal with things, more secure.

My 30's are going to be fantastic - and I am just at the start!

It does not impress me

It does not impress me when I go to nicer restaurants and the server who takes my order doesn't write it down. I mean, seriously, not impressive! I would much rather they reassure me and get my order correct by writing it down rather than try to impress me with their memorization skills.

Wii Fit

We got wii fit last week. Funny time for me to start and all - what with my ever expanding belly and changing sense of balance, since wii fit measures pretty much everything based on your sense of balance.

It also told me I was overweight, and then didn't blink an electronic eye when I set a goal to GAIN a pound and a half in the next two weeks. Hee hee.

Rent: FIlmed Live on Broadway

So yesterday, I went to see Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway at Metro Pointe theater. This is part of a new thing that SOny is doing called "Hot Ticket," where they film big events - broadway shows, concerts, etc., and then play them in movie theaters on extremely limited engagements.

From feedback I've been reading, Rent did not do very well - meaning most of the theaters had 15 - 40 people in it. (I would expect that it could have done much better.) There were some big problems with it, though. First of all, it was VERY poorly advertised. Even I had trouble finding info on it, and I am a total rent head. Also, it was expensive - $20 a ticket. Again, even as a total rent head, I had trouble parting with $20 to see a movie of Rent that will be released on DVD in a few months. Finally, its engagement was very limited - in theaters across the country, your only options were to see it on Wednesday or Thursday at 7:00 pm, and Saturday and Sunday at noon. Noon? On the weekend? What were they thinking? I mean, all of the previews in the "first look" that they play when you're waiting for the real previews to start (you know the previews before the previews?) were geared towards little kids. It was not planned well.

That being said, I did enjoy the production. My and 16 other loyal Rentheads watched it Saturday, at noon, in Costa Mesa. At times, I could almost forget that I was in a theater, and feel like I was at an actual stage show. I loved that it was the musical, pure and simple - no cheesy edits or cookie cutter plots like the movie version. This is a true recording of the stage show as it is meant to be seen. However, some of the filming was not to my taste - I thought they spent way too much time doing close ups, and not enough shots pulled back to show more of the stage. Some of the close ups were WAY too close - those shots were distracting and unnecessary. Also unneeded were some of the shots where the cameras, zoomed in closer than needed, moved quickly to follow the action, which sometimes gave a dizzying effect.

The performances were awesome, the music flawless. I can't wait to get this on dvd - as I can guarantee it will get a lot more play then the movie dvd gets. If I come across people who have never seen it, I won't have quite as many qualms about recommending this as I do about the movie version.... (My normal advice is, don't see the movie until you see the play. Chances are, you won't like the movie.) This version, though, really does the musical justice.

Kids say...

Last night, I was talking with Andrew - Angie's son.  We told him that we were having a boy, and that his name had to start with G. Grant asked him, "Don't you have any friends that have names that start with G?"

Andrew says no, only girls. Then he says, "Well, I guess there's God and Jesus."

Grant tells him, "Jesus starts with a J, but God works."

"Yeah," I said. "We could name him God. How's that?"

and Andrew says, "No. I don't think you can name him God. I think the name is copyrighted or something...."

Disneyland free on your birthday

Get in Disneyland for free on your birthday.

September 18th, 2008, 11:03 am · 8 Comments · posted by Adam Townsend

If you've got a birthday next year, you can get into Disneyland or Disney's California Adventure for free.

Starting Jan. 1, the two theme parks will let you in free to one of them on your birthday.

If you already have a multi-day ticket or annual pass, you can choose an "alternate birthday treat," like a gift card, a ticket for another day or Fast passes for the rest of your group – up to six people.

The gift will be worth the value of a day pass to one park.

"This is your birthday – come on in," Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Jay Rasulo said in a Thursday telephone interview.

Regular admission into Disneyland is $69 for adults, and $59 for those ages 3-9; under age three is free.

The Disneyland and Disney World resorts are starting a new promotion to take advantage of the current tourism trend: celebration vacations.

According to industry research firm Ypartnership, more and more people are taking vacations to celebrate some life event, like a birthday, a reunion, a honeymoon or a retirement – so-called "milestone" vacations.

"People tend to plan more intensely and further in advance for certain vacations," Rasulo said. "Historically, most of our celebrations have focused on Disney milestones. This is a celebration that focuses on milestones in our guests' lives."

Disney has used that research to organize its promotional strategy — the resorts next year will institute Web programs that let park partiers order ahead cakes, flowers, restaurant table service, tea parties with characters and other special services.

To avoid delays at the park, officials suggest pre-registering for the free tickets at www.disneyparks.com. To get the free passes, park-goers must show a valid ID for adults or notarized birth certificates for children.

Miss Me?

I know - it has been a while! I had my long vacation, which was amazingly awesome.

I am back to school  - I have 30 students this year - more girls than boys - and they seem like a really nice group. I have one student who has autism. So far, so good - I really like him. I am super busy though with back to school stuff. It will be nice when things settle back into a routine. We have a new 5th grade teacher on our team - the new dynamics are interesting but things are going well.

My belly is starting to pop out a bit. I can fit some of my regular clothes, but some are getting too tight. My belly is a little better on the left then on the right which is funny. Odd, though, is that my belly button hurts! It is kind of itchy and tender on the inside. My boobs are sore too. It is just like everything in stretching and getting tighter. Such fun!

Maternity Clothes

My friend Katherine lent me a whole bunch of her Maternity clothes - because she totally rocks. Also, Delaine took me shopping at the Gap for some clothes. I really don't need them yet, but I wanted to bring a few things on our cruise, since my belly "could" pop out in those two weeks. I just figures better safe then stuck on vacation with uncomfortable clothes.

Anyway - OH MY GOD - Maternity Clothes are SO comfortable. Seriously, I think the word would be a better place if everyone wore comfortable clothes, and I swear, going back to regular clothes is going to be a nightmare. I think that is a huge contribution to why people have trouble losing the baby weight. I swear, I would be perfectly happy wearing maternity clothes for the rest of my life!

wii sports

I played boxing with Andrew on wii sports last night. My arms are freakin' killing me.

Have you seen my baby blog yet?

0urbabybl0g.blogspot.com

Fall Shows

fall shows:
Fox: Fringe, Dollhouse
CBS: Survivor, Amazing Race, The Big Bang Theory, Gary  Unmarried, The ex list?
ABC: Ugly Betty, Opportunity Knocks?, (Pushing Daisies)
NBC: Kath and Kim,
CW: 90210,

 

High School Musical - Get in the Picture

Ok - I know pregnancy reeks havoc on my hormones and this crying crap is all related, but just hear me out...

Kay, I am watching this new abc show High School Musical: Get in the Picture. They are auditioning young talent from across America. First they have these open casting calls. What I love about it, is the auditioners are so respectful of everyone who auditions - whether they suck or not. If they don't pass into the semi finals, the judges are so kind and helpful and positive with their advice, and when the kids walk out, even if they did not pass they audition, they feel really good about it.

It made me think about how that compares to American Idol. I mean, I'll admit, there are some really funny auditions - I've laughed at really unbelievable performances, but still, I am not crazy about how mean the judges can be.

This show is interesting - and yet the judges don't put anyone down. I really like it!

Something I like about the show - is the alternative way kids can make it to the semi finals. Parents and teachers were bale to send in videos - and then the auditioners went out to watch them perform and then, if they pass their "secret" audition, they auditioners announce it in front of the school, friends and family. So cool!!!

I like it. I like it, I like it a lot.

The two extremes of life - birth and death...

Yesterday, Grant and I went to my first ultrasound. I got to see my little baby - the heart beat... the movement - it was so amazing to see. I am keeping a pregnancy blog at 0urbabyblog.blogspot.com

On a down note, yesterday, we had to put our dog, 13 year old dog, Kanga, to sleep. How much does that suck? Seriously - it happened so fast. A few days after we got back from Europe, she started peeing in the house - After a few days, with it starting so suddenly, we thought maybe she had a bladder infection. We took her to the vet and she got an antibiotic but after a few days, things didn't seem to be getting better. She stopped peeing in the house - she stopped peeing at all. She would squat and strain but nothing would come out. She also wasn't eating very much. We called the vet again, and they thought maybe she had kidney stones. I dropped her off yesterday to get x-rays. Well, the xrays showed no stones, so the vet suspected a tumor or bladder cancer. She put Kanga out to do the test and found that her bladdar was so blocked she couldn't get a catheter up, and the urine was very, very dark. Essentially, there was nothing they could do, and they suggested just letting her go at that point - since she was already underanesthetic for the test, it just seemed easier for her than reviving her so we could all say goodbye - it would have been selfish to put her through that pain.

Oasis of the Seas

Awhile back, I shared with you the "Central Park," neighborhood on the new Project Genesis ship that Royal Caribbean is building. Well, the ship is officially named the Oasis of the Seas (with its sister ship being named the Allure of the Seas.) Oasis will begin booking this September, and sail in December of 2009.

They are designing Oasis around the concept of neighborhoods - seven in all. The first that they revealed was the Central Park Neighborhood. The next one was the Royal Promenade, already a familiar concept to the Royal Caribbean Fleet. They just recently revealed the third neighborhood, and the will continue revealing information about the rest of the ship throughout the summer.

The most recent neighborhood is the Boardwalk. This neighborhood is adjacent to Central Park, above the Royal Promenade, on the back of the ship. It, too, opens to the sky, and recalls the feel of historic boardwalks - it will include an airbrush "tatoo" parlor, candy shop, fortune telling, Johnny Rockets, and the first ever at sea amusement ride - an old fashioned carosel! In addition, there is a zip line that travels across the Boardwalk Area that decends something like 9 decks.

The Boardwalk exits onto an ampitheater pool deck known as the AquaTheater. During the day, terraced decks filled with lounge chairs surround this aft pool, while two movie screens can, at time, offer entertainment to the sun batehrs and swimmers. Behind these decks are two rock climbing walls. At night, these lounge hairs convert into stadium seating, while the pool transforms into an aqua theater - complete with a suitable depth for high diving, synchronized swimming, and water ballet and acrobatics.

Can you even imagine?

Here, you can go to the official website. There is a photo gallery, a video with all sort of concept art, and all sorts of neat info.

Here are some interesting quotes from the recent chat event:
Foffie232: How will the space in the AquaTheater transform at night? Specifically, if the area is a public pool area during the day, with lounge chairs, what kind of seating will there be at night for the shows performed there?
Royal_Caribbean_Alice_Norsworthy: You'll find this very interesting. We will have very unique chairs which can convert from reclining sun lounge chairs by day, to fully upright stadium seating by night. Other "transformations" include: water show programming (day = passive; night = active), plus large screen tv programming, in-water lifting platforms which convert from standard pool bottom depth during day, to become ultra deep diving pool at night (17.9 ft), night lighting and sound, etc

Roe: What is a zip line?
Royal_Caribbean_Alice_Norsworthy: A zip line is best described as a pulley suspended on a cable. The zip line is designed to allow the guest to propell by gravity nine decks across the top of the Boardwalk. This is for those that are looking for an adventure.

dogloverCalifornia: what kind of shows are going to be in the aquatheater? the stage seems awfully small for any kind of real entertainment.
Royal_Caribbean_Alice_Norsworthy: The AquaTheater is the first of its kind at sea. At night the space will be transformed into a performance venue which feature dramatic acrobatics, synchronized swimming, water ballet and professional high-diving performances. There is ample space to execute wonderful performances.

patswife: WILL THERE BE INSIDE CABINS
Royal_Caribbean_Alice_Norsworthy: Yes, there will be inside, outside, and balcony staterooms. Actually, there will be a total of 37 stateroom categories to choose from.

BEACHCAT: ARE ALL THE TREES AND GRASS REAL?
Royal_Caribbean_Alice_Norsworthy: Yes, Central Park features real grass, foliage, shrubs, trees and flowers. It's going to be so neat!

Wicked

On Tuesday, we went up to see Wicked in LA. We took the train and spent the night at the Marriott at Hollywood and Highland!

Wicked really is a good play - and I loved the casting - Elphaba and Galinda were perfect in their roles! It seems like such a fun play to be in!

Evolution

Something that leaves my head scratching -

I know a lot of people who believe in creationism and say that evolution is absolutely wrong. Yet, when asked, they really don't understand what evolution is. I'll bring up a specific point and they'll say, "You know, I don't really know the details..." or "I don't really understand what that part (of evolution) is."

One example is micro versus macro evolution. I'll talk about a general point on micro evolution, and they'll readily admit that they don't understand the specific points of evolution.

So how can people discredit a scientific theory that they don't even understand? That seems a bit close minded. I would never reject (or accept) a theory that I don't understand. "Oh I don't understand refraction, so I don't believe rainbows are created from the separation of light."

School's Out for summer!

I hat the end of the school year - I totally cried, as usual! I am such a sucker. I hate endings. This day is always so emotionally exausting for me. And where did the time go???

Tomorrow, off to Amsterdam! If I don't blog here for a while - check my vacation blog!

Prices

Taco Bell has a new menu - .79, .89, .99 cents.

Sigh.

I remember in 6th grade - the .59, .79, .99 menu!

Gas prices today - $4.57, $4.67, and $4.77.

Lord.

Sorry -

End of the year. Report Cards. Vacation. Stuff.

Superhero Quiz

Your results:
You are Spider-Man

Spider-Man 60% Superman 60% Robin 57% Wonder Woman 50% Iron Man 50% Green Lantern 45% The Flash 45% Supergirl 45% Hulk 40% Catwoman 25% Batman 15%

You are intelligent, witty, a bit geeky and have great power and responsibility.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

After Thoughts

The Manicotti turned out pretty well. I am going to make it with Spinach and mushrooms next time. yum.

Sasha Baron Cohen. Freakin hilarious. Honestly, I think the guy is a genius.