Dreams 2013 Edition - Part 1

I like posting about dreams because

1. My dreams are weird
2. I would probably forget about them if i didn't post them
3. I usually email the details to friends the next morning, so for the most part I'm just copying and pasting to post them here - with a few extra special details for my imaginary readers.

Here are the dreams I've remembered so far this year...

• Car accident. I pulled onto the freeway but there was an unexpected cloverleaf turn and my car spun around and hit the side railing backwards.  Apparently I was fine and luckily this was not a nightmare or otherwise "scary" dream.

• Someone came over to see me at my parents house (where I was staying in my old room - that still looked like my room) from work with a work issue (items not being priced correctly).  They just showed up uninvited and started dumping out bags of merchandise onto the floor.  I fell asleep while they were talking and they left in a huff.  I found out later that they were really upset, but it didn't bother so much because they had barged into my/my parents' home.

• I was on a college campus, it's raining, I'm trying to find my class.  I don't know why I assumed it would be in a certain building, but it wasn't.  Then I couldn't find the right building on the map.  Then I ran into a friend who wanted to meet up later (for New Year's?) and was trying to arrange where we should meet, but I was trying to rush because I was late for class.  Also, I was barefoot. 

• I was the only person who could kill some sort of monster in some sort of body of water that was only accessible during the lowest possible tide - even though I think it was a lake and appeared to be in my parent's back yard. All I could use to kill it were matches (matches on a long stick).  Killing it involved lighting a match and sticking it in his mouth. I didn't know this ahead of time, but was apparently what I figured out when I faced him. I kept having trouble keeping a match lit long enough.  Luckily the monster was patient and waited for me to get one to stay lit long enough to kill him.  Once I stuck a lit match in his mouth he turned to dust.

• I have a boyfriend with a young son (as in - the child was his, not mine - older than 5, less than 10) and we went to some...place.  It was kind of like a science center but more artsy.  For example, at one station you could use colored wax and different shaped molds to make your own crayons. I was wearing a t-shirt, from some..convention I had attended?  No clue what kind, but why was I wearing this t-shirt in public?!  That is definitely unlike me.  This was clearly some sort of alternate universe.  (In telling this dream to some of my friends, their first comment was also "that doesn't sound like you" in regards to wearing the t-shirt.)

• In another I had a panda bear that I had rescued (although I kept accidentally calling it a koala and confusing people).  I rescued it from somewhere snowy, and was in the process of bringing it home.  Someone had secured a crate for me to use to bring him on the plane, and we were getting ready to go at my parents' house. I went to check on him and he was out of the crate!!!  He was just hanging out in the family room, and then he started talking to me.  I don't remember what he said, but I think he wasn't trying to escape - he just didn't want to wait in the crate.  There was also a bird cage in the room, and I think he asked if they were coming too and I said no - that the birds belonged to my brother and that I was scared of birds.  Then a talking chicken showed up and I spoke with him too, but I can't remember that conversation was about.  I guess I'm not scared of chickens?  At some point in this dream I told someone else that all the animals can understand and speak English - they just chose not to most of the time.

You Had Me @ Season 6

Here is a great example of why I'm not a great blogger:

I just (within the last month or so) started watching The Big Bang Theory.  I LOVE IT!

(Oh, happy new year by the way.  See?  Worst blogger ever.)

I'm doing my thing on the internet - catching up on people and reading 15 different things at once - when I start constructing a blog entry in my head (aka talking to an imaginary friend)...

But Imaginary Friend!!! I can't tell you about my love of the Big Bang Theory without telling you how half hour sitcoms have only recently re entered my life (within the past two years - see my 2011 recap where I blame Jared and Sara for my spike in television viewing).

And how can I tell you that I maybe haven't felt this way about a show since Friends?! (gasp!!)

I haven't even told you HOW MUCH I love Friends!! (I almost typed "loved" #ShameSpiral)

And I can't tell you about Friends without prefacing that I didn't start watching it until I was in college, because I didn't really watch TV in high school.  (Not for any weird reason.  I was just REALLY busy in high school and didn't have time to get into any shows.  The last shows I remember watching on a regular basis when I was living with my parents were Growing Pains and Who's the Boss.)

So you see...I can't tell you about The Big Bang Theory without telling you my whole life story, which I would never have time to write but at the same time is one of the reasons I attempt to blog...and one of the roadblocks that often prevents me from posting.

*Sigh, Deep Breath*

Let's give this a try...

Friends

The first episode of Friends that I really watched was the finale of Season 6.  Spoiler Alert: It was the year that Chandler proposed to Monica.  Why was I even watching it?  I am a sucker for finales, even if I don't regularly watch the show.  I taped the series finale of Dawson's Creek, having never watched a single episode of the show.  The first episode I ever watched of 90210 was their high school graduation.  I just tivo'd the series finale of 30 Rock.  You can see this is an established pattern.

I know Friends better than any other show in the history of my life.  I'm practically at a loss for how to describe how integrated into my life that show has been.  There is always a Friends quote to support what is happening around me, and I'm lucky to have several [real] friends who can quote with me and understand my references.

If you added up the number of times I've watched Friends episodes, it is EASILY in the thousands.  My old TV was one of the TV/VCR combo deals that I sat on top of a DVD player.  Most DVDs wouldn't play on my tv because they could tell they were being attached to a VCR that had the power to make illegal copies.  Oddly enough, seasons two through ten of Friends played just fine, so for YEARS, Friends episodes were the only DVDs I watched in my dorm room (and then later my bedroom when I moved off campus).  After the first few hundred viewings, Friends episodes are the perfect background filler.  Reliable, funny, and they help you keep track of the time! (What can I accomplish in 22 minutes?)

I could go on and on about Friends, but that's a story for another time.  We're here to talk about The Big Bang Theory today.

The Big Bang Theory

Much like with Friends, I'm late to the game.  Unlike Friends, I didn't fall hard and fast in love.

I had seen an episode here or there.  Wasn't super impressed; plus the opening reminds me about things that happened a million years ago - that's always daunting.  But times change (in even shorter spans than millions of years).  Winter Hiatus - a television phenomenon that I have often toyed with as a blog subject (you know, in chats with my imaginary friend).  Winter hiatus arrived and after a fast and dirty Netflix revival (I knew there was a reason why I was still paying them) I turned to reruns of TBBT.

Then an episode made me laugh at loud, and so did another, and another - until enough of them made me laugh to make me think that I might actually be a fan.  And now I know I'm in love.

But why am I writing about TBBT this way and not How I Met Your Mother.  HIMYM, which I've been faithfully watching for over a year, and is sometimes so in tune with things I say or do in my own life that I swear Neil Patrick Harris is spying on me.  (Come say hi, NPH; I'll be cool - I swear!)  HIMYM takes place in New York, has characters that are closer to me in age and place-in-life, and, did I mention they have Neil Patrick Harris?  It sounds like an obvious win.  I've been thinking about this while writing tonight and I realized that as much as I adore NPH, I probably wouldn't be friends with Barney in real life, and I definitely wouldn't be friends with Ted or Robin.  While the chances of me befriending a group of hard core geniuses is also pretty slim...as people, I feel more in tune with the characters of TBBT.  Physics doesn't hold my attention for long (omg - high school honors physics - that's a story for another time), but the quest for answers, reason and logic, combined with a little OCD hits close to home and heart.  My inner geek is brought out by musicals rather than comic books, but I can still connect to that type of enthusiasm.

So here I am, with a new set of Friends, complete with present day cell phones and computers.  I told Jared the other night that I feel like TBBT came into my life at just the right time.  It sounded ridiculously corny of course, but I meant it sincerely.  Interestingly, The Big Bang Theory is in its 6th season. Does that mean anything?  Probably not, but just like a good TV show - it feels like it does.

Thankful

When Facebook becomes a frenzy of "Things I'm Thankful For" in the month of November, I pull back.  Not because I'm against posting those things on Facebook - I've often posted about things I'm thankful for on FB, but for some reason the posts during November feel forced and insincere.

For me personally, posting like that in November almost diminishes the level of true gratitude I feel for the blessings in my life.

In every publication of the magazine Real Simple, there is a Thoughts page at the front with a quote for the month.  The December 2012 quote was

It is a miracle if you can find true friends, and it is a miracle if you have enough food to eat, and it is a miracle if you get to spend your days and evenings doing whatever it is you like to do, and the holiday season - like all other seasons - is a good time not only to tell stories of miracles, but to think about the miracles in your own life, and to be grateful for them.
~Lemony Snicket "The Lump of Coal"

I can rarely make it through that quote without crying.  One thing that really stuck out to me about the quote was it's focus on friendship.  I've been blessed beyond measure with some of the most wonderful friends. I also feel the quote sums up so beautifully that all of the blessings in life truly are miracles.  Every happiness, comfort and companion in my life could just as easily not be a reality.  How could a Facebook post, or even this blog, do justice in conveying my gratitude?  I cut the quote out of the magazine and framed it with the picture above.  It's a picture taken at my 30th birthday dinner.  While it doesn't include all of my dearest friends, it does include all of my friends that went with me to see Spring Awakening on stage in January 2011.  I think the combination of friendship, celebration, eating at one of my favorite restaurants (Dragonfish!) and the theatre connection make it a great match for the quote.  The frame will probably stay out all year, but I'll feature it prominently in my holiday decorations.

It's basically taking what others might post on Facebook and displaying it in my home as a visual, every day reminder of the miracles in my life.

Weekends

My weekends have been crazy busy!  Here's a quick run down of what's been happening.

Last weekend I helped Beth pack her kitchen in preparation for her move to LA.  We had a mob that night in Tacoma (I know, so far!) so I brought all of my stuff to get ready there so we could carpool from her place.  Sara came over and then Jared and Janette came and picked us up.  We sang Wicked all the way there, which was perfect, because Beth and I had wanted another round of singing Wicked in the car before her move, but hadn't been able to find a time to do it.

The mob was a success - a swanky black tie fundraiser - so fancy!  It opened with a Lindy piece that Jared and I danced in for just a little bit at the end.  Shhh...don't tell - we didn't actually Lindy, we did...I think East Coast swing.  Not too shabby for learning it two nights prior in my living room - it even ended in a dip!

With Jen and Beth at the Tacoma Black & White Mob

The next day we had a ladies brunch - a chance for Christine to share her engagement story and our last "official" brunch before Beth's move.   That night Sara and I surprised Jared by going to one of his dance company performances.  It was fun to see a full one hour program and they even had some new routines that we hadn't seen before.  I'd show you some pictures, but we learned something weird about my phone.  Apparently (and supposedly this is common with cell phones) it takes a series of photos and then stitches them together for the best quality.  This resulted the THUMBNAIL version of my photos showing one thing...but then when you open the photo it's something different.  Oh, I guess I can show you one photo - it's super blurry though...

Splinter Performance - Jared Flying

The photo above (which I didn't bother to edit in any way so pardon the color) is the thumbnail.  If you open the file...he's almost landed.  Seriously.  Think about that for a second.  You HAVE the photo Phone!!!  Why won't you give it to me!?!?!?  So sad...

This weekend was also packed.  Friday night AJP went to go see the Microsoft Theater Troupe's production of Hello Dolly!  You didn't know Microsoft had a Theater Troupe???  Yeah....me neither. :-)  Getting there (to the Microsoft campus is Redmond - why are we traveling internationally so much!?) was hilarious.  Thank goodness we gave ourselves plenty of time because we definitely had trouble locating the correct garage that would lead us to the "Building 31 Cafeteria." There was a lot of laughing, which is pretty standard for us.  We had 5 friends in the show, and actually during the show I realized I knew the sister of one of the other cast members - they all did a GREAT job!

Saturday was a day with Lindsay!  We've been trying to find a date to see the King Tutankhamun exhibit at the Pacific Science Center since...ummm...June?  When I bought the tickets for her birthday.  We had a great day running around downtown, Seattle Center, and the museum.  We had a little bit of time to explore the rest of the Science Center before going into the King Tut building, and we had a lot of fun taking pictures in the butterfly house!

Smile!

The exhibit was great - apparently it's the last stop for this artifact tour before it all goes back to Egypt...I think "forever."  My favorite ancient artifacts are objects of everyday life and there were a few items like that in the exhibit - like a bed.  I thought it was interesting to learn that there were attempts (by the ancient Egyptians) to erase King Tut from history, and here he is, the most well known of all of the pharaohs.

Sunday was the engagement brunch for Byron and Christine! Tasty and joyous - it's was the perfect kick off to what will be a year of celebrating.

Kingfish Cafe

Now I'm attempting to stop my apartment from being nominated for the next season of Hoarders.  I'm not really sure how it ends up in such shambles when I'm never here!  My place needs to be organized and ready for Christmas before Thanksgiving (a first for me).  I really think the whole holiday season will run more smoothly if that happens.

By the way...Jared is on to me.  He asked if my fake blog was a real blog.  I responded with an explanation of how I've never been successful at journaling or blogging my whole life - basically dodging the question without actually saying I didn't have a blog.  So Jared...when you read this blog some day, here is my apology to you: I'm very sorry I lied by omission - I hope you can forgive me!

#Election2012

Pizza box art by Byron - Explanation of photo far below

I don't love a good debate, so when it comes to politics, I have my opinions, but I have no desire to argue with anyone about them or convince everyone that I'm right.  I tend to say "I'm not political" but in truth it's more that I'm just quiet about my politics.  I'll set that aside for this post, in honor of the election earlier this week, but my intent is for this post mostly focus on what I witnessed this election rather than how I voted.

The right to vote...

A month before the election I posted the following on Facebook:

My Facebook page stays pretty non-political, 

but as we are a month out from the next presidential election, 

I'd like to encourage everyone to consider voting.

How ever you vote, and whether or not you do, 
please take a moment to be grateful 
for living in a country where you have that choice.

Yes, while I'm incredibly grateful that I am able to vote, it is equally important that I have the choice to vote if I wish.  I never really thought about that until the 2008 election when a friend of mine was being lectured by someone else because she said she wasn't voting.  That's when I recognized the value of that choice.

The act of voting...

In Washington we vote by mail.  It's brilliant.  It makes me a little nostalgic when I think of the voting stations set up at my elementary school, and I still tear up when I heard stories about people waiting in line for hours to vote, but...they really shouldn't have to wait in line for hours!  It's 2012!  (That said, I'm totally against moving to online voting!)  The only downside to our mail in system is that our ballots can be POSTMARKED until 8pm on election day, which means it can take several days for ballots to received, verified and counted.

The weight of your voice...

It's no secret, Washington is true blue state.  I have friends who feel like their votes don't count because our electoral votes will end up being cast as Democratic.  Right now, in Washington...that may be the case, but your vote IS still important.  This year we saw some CLOSE races across the country, and we're seeing the demographics of our voters shift.  Truly, anything is possible.  You certainly have the right not to vote, but I hope your choice isn't based on the belief that your vote doesn't matter.  In Washington, we're still counting ballots, and for some of our races every vote DEFINITELY counts.

The crowd awaits...

I've never gone "out" on election night - until this year.  Being "not very political," I can't stand watching political coverage.  I hate the hashing and rehashing of statistics, projections, and the blah, blah, blah of it all.  It was the promise of pizza with friends that lured me to a restaurant on Tuesday night, where I sat with my back to the tv.  "You can tell me when something exciting happens," I told my friends.  It turns out, they didn't have to tell me - the ENTIRE restaurant did.  With cheers and shouts and clapping and booing.  The energy was incredible.  At 8:30 I tweeted "First time I've ever watched election results in public-it's definitely more fun this way. Especially when you're winning :-) #Election2012"

Oh, Team Pizza?  Team Pizza is a long running joke between Byron and me.  It's actually sports related - from when we went for pizza one Sunday and when the waiter approached us he listed off two team names as a question (as in, which team are you rooting for).  We stared at him blankly for a second before saying "Um...we're here for pizza...?"  That's what we get for eating in sports bars.  Luckily, Team Pizza lent itself very well to election night - jokes about food were definitely all over social media that day.

Being in that restaurant looked and felt like when people gather somewhere to watch sports (or so I've heard...I've never really done that), but I didn't really appreciate the magnitude of the election until today - a few days later.  All of those people - the country, and on some level - the world were watching the results just as attentively as they (not I) would watch any sporting event...but what we were witnessing was so much greater than ANY game.  It was the result of the actions of the entire country as a whole - whether or not you voted.  It was more REAL than any newsroom, headquarters or rally could convey.  While our system isn't perfect, election day is truly representative of the beauty of our system at work.

The results are in...

I don't think I need to tell you who won the presidency.  I'm sure you have that figured out.  But depending on where you live, you may or may not have heard about Referendum 74 - a bill in Washington State allowing same sex couples to marry.

I've already said I'm not here to fight [with anyone on my secret blog], but I will say that the only "real" arguments I've heard against Ref 74 always come back to religion, and this bill, as written, does not force any religion to recognize same sex marriage.  What it does is keep a healthy separation of church and state while allowing consenting, loving individuals of the same gender the equal rights and securities of marriage that I am allowed as a heterosexual.  I absolutely respect the right of each religion to choose what they are willing to recognize as a marriage within their church, but I feel it is a disgrace to tell two adults that they can not legally be married based on their gender.

I hope that in my lifetime we will say "Remember back when our gay friends weren't allowed to marry everywhere in this country?  We've come so far!"  At least I know I can look forward to telling my children about the day we voted for marriage equality in Washington State and won.

The celebration continues...

By the time we were done eating dinner, most news sources had projected that Obama would be re-elected, but Ohio still hadn't been called.  Things were looking positive (for Obama and Ref 74 - despite less than half of the votes being counted in Washington State) and we knew by Twitter and Facebook that people were beginning to gather at 10th & Pike in our neighborhood to celebrate.  Since we were already out and about, we decided to check it out.  What a scene!  I'm so grateful that I was able to witness the 1000+ people taking over the streets that evening.  Roads blocked off, music playing, people dancing, people singing, champagne being sprayed everywhere - it was insanity.  In a good way.  Christine, Sara and I borrowed some signs for a quick pic...

Photo by Byron

...and we spend the night wandering around - enjoying and participating in all of the merriment.  Thanks to my backup phone charger, by the end of the night I had one of the last functioning cell phones on the hill and tried to snap as many pics as possible.  Unfortunately lighting wasn't ideal, but I did catch some decent (for phone) video footage.  I sorted through it that night and managed to piece together 7 or so clips into a little montage of the joyous highlights.  Knowing that it wouldn't be relevant if I didn't post it IMMEDIATELY - I stayed up and wrestled with iMovie.  Even though everything I create in that program is mostly by accident, I did manage to create and publish a short video on YouTube...

Shaky and blurry, it conveys the spirit of election night much better than any of my photos will be able to do.  My plan of going home after dinner and doing laundry that night didn't pan out, but instead I witnessed history in the making, and for that I am incredibly thankful.

Darling Halloween

This Halloween may be the only time in my adult life that I seriously put thought into my outfit.  Those who know me know that I'm not a huge fan of costuming.  In most cases I don't find it very fun, and I don't enjoy the time, energy, and money that goes in to the whole ordeal.

Enter Flash Mobbing...

As a result of flash mobbing, not only do I have costumes, but I have a costume TOTE.  I still remember that first piece...the poodle skirt for the Grease mob.  I knew it the start of long downward spiral into costuming.  As if flash mob attire didn't already have a list of considerations...once you add a costume component, it's amazing I'm able to put anything together.

Halloween 2011 was the first time we did a Halloween Mob.  There is a section of my neighborhood that goes ALL OUT for Halloween.  No, seriously - take whatever you just pictured...and then times it by 10.  It feels like you're walking onto a movie set.  Streets closed to traffic, fog machines, amplified sound, strobe lights, people everywhere, every house decorated, most with elaborate themes...it's amazing.  Even though I don't necessarily love Halloween - I couldn't shut up about how I loved EVERYTHING about the neighborhood that night.

We learned that the trick-or-treat crowd is an exceptional mob audience - dancing there was a blast!  This year we knew that we were going to mob on Halloween again, so at the "Last BBQ of the Summer," Sara, Jared, and I started discussing what out costumes would be for the mob.  (If it's not clear already, if there were no mob, I would not bother with a Halloween costume at all.)  We didn't necessarily set out to plan coordinating outfits, but at some point Sara asked "Are there any Disney trios that we could be?"

After my suggestion of the Three Fairies was shot down multiple times, I changed gears and said "What about Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, and Wendy?"  Somehow it all fell into place.  Jared MADE the majority of his outfit - the hat, the modifications of his top, his belt.  He's amazingly crafty.  Beth had a Tinker Bell costume that she had made last year that Sara was able to borrow.  By some miracle, I was able to find a woman on eBay who makes a variety of basic nightgowns - one of them was PERFECT for Wendy.  Perfect shoes were found at Payless, and my sash and hair bow were made out of blue tulle - which I already had on hand.

I'll say it - we were adorable!  Like I said, it's the first time I've ever really cared about a costume (as an adult) and it's certainly the first time I've put that much effort into coordinating.  The flash mob was a success - even though we reused our Summer Mob and danced to What Makes You Beautiful & Call Me Maybe - and the weather cooperated which allowed us to perform four times.

There's no official video but a few have popped up on YouTube.  This one doesn't include the Opening or the Call Me Maybe sections, but I like the angle because it was shot from someone's window or balcony.  Plus the people filming it sound excited that we're dancing - always a plus. :-)

We had a few little girls that jumped in and started dancing with us - they were awesome!  The highlight of my night was talking to the "lead" girl after one of the performances.  After giving her a high five she asked "Is this a JOB!?!" I told her it was more of a hobby. :-)  She had a few more questions about flash mobbing and then asked "Can *I* be a part of your hobby??"  I told her "I think you already are - you're dancing with us!!"  So cute!!

Then her friend started asking about my "rings" (we were wearing LED finger lights) and I told her they were from my friend Tinker Bell and that I should probably go find her and Peter Pan.  Jared walked up right then, and the moms asked if the two of us would pose with the girls for a photo.

I felt like I worked at Disneyland for five minutes - It was AMAZING!!!! :-D

How can we top it next year?

I Do Believe I Have Been Changed For the Better

Guess what I'm seeing today!

It's round one of Wicked with Byron, Sara and Jared.

The first time I saw Wicked was September 24th, 2009.  I didn't know the show, and I wasn't really familiar with the music.  All I knew was that I hated the book (that's another story) but I had faith that the musical was going to be fantastic.

It didn't disappoint.

Interestingly, Wicked was the first musical that I saw twice in the same run.  I had promised two different groups that I would go see it - I was really trusting that it would be a good show.  I LOVED seeing the same cast twice and so close together.  I loved the chance to watch different people and see different things during the show.  One of my favorite things that happened between the shows a prop malfunction.  During One Short Day, there was a suitcase that didn't open.  It was obvious, but handled well.  When I went back to the show a few days later, it did open - there were sunglasses inside.

I know that doesn't sound thrilling, but it was a whole new level of live theatre for me - being able to make those types of observations.  It was certainly one of the things I enjoyed most during my Spring Awakening tour of 2011.

It's fitting that this time around, I'll be seeing Wicked twice again.  Next week I'll be going with Jill and Lindsay as part of our first season at the Paramount.  I'm so grateful that we were able to subscribe to both the 5th Avenue and the Paramount Theatre this year.  I really can't even put into words how much I value live musical theatre, and I hope I can continue to support it for years to come.

**Update on 10/29**

The show was amazing!  I was super impressed - there wasn't a single cast member we were disappointed with (although we joked that the midwife could've been stronger - because an understudy was on - but really...she was fine).  I wanted to add this picture of Sara and me from after the show.  I love everything about it - even that it's blurry.  What I love most is that it's almost perfect by accident.  I sort of threw my hand up and said "this is my hat!"  I was joking - but it actually translates!  And Sara is lined up perfectly with Glinda.  I feel like if actually went back and tried to recreate this again it would NEVER work. :-)

I'm thrilled to be able to see this production again - I go tomorrow night with Jill and Lindsay!

Pitch Slapped

I rarely go see movies in the movie theatre.  Mostly because I'm cheap and movies are expensive!  It has to be something I really want to see on the big screen, otherwise I'm perfectly happy waiting until something is available on cable or Netflix.

However, today I went and saw Pitch Perfect.  I first saw the preview for Pitch Perfect when we went to see Step Up 4 Revolution (Hey, don't judge!  That movie totally needed to be seen on a big screen, am I right???)  I was SO excited for this movie.  Not just because it was about a capella singing, but also because it was starring Anna Kendrick.  Having been a fan of hers since CAMP, the first thing I thought when I saw the preview was "Awwww, she gets to sing again!!"

A capella singing has always fascinated me.  I'm insanely jealous of the people who can do it for a start.  When Lindsay and I went to Chicago to see Spring Awakening, we took an impromptu train ride up to Northwestern to see Emma Hunton sing at a Broadway in South Africa benefit.  (We were fans of Emma Hunton since seeing her as Natalie in the national tour of Next to Normal.  It was a coincidence that Next to Normal was in Chicago at the same time we were.)  The benefit was being hosted by Adam Kantor - the last Mark of Rent on Broadway, who was also a Northwestern Alum and the founder of Broadway in South Africa.

This is my extremely long way of telling you that a few a capella groups sang at the benefit that night and it was amazing!  Taping most of their songs was the best decision EVER because I listen to them all the time!

I recommend listening to Happy Ending to hear Adam sing with THUNK...but really you should just listen to everything on my playlist:

Oh, right - the movie.  Loved it.

I love most movies that promote the arts in schools, so it already had that going for it.  It was full of fun music, great voices, and of course it was hilarious.  I don't always love Elizabeth Banks (who produced this movie and had a role as one of the announcers at the a capella competition), but she was perfect in this film.  There were other familiar faces too - Rebel Wilson, who's line about meth is STILL making me laugh out loud; Brittany Snow, who did a lovely job and it was very fun to see her without blonde hair; and look who it is!  Skylar Astin as our romantic male lead, proving that all [singing] roads DO lead to/from Spring Awakening: