After the New Year I noticed something different. My face now has freckles that weren't there before. Everytime I look in the mirror now, I feel like I am relearning what my face looks like.
I don't mind the freckles. I think they are nice. I'm just unused to the subtle changes that have occurred. I guess I'm upset I didn't notice it happening. I know I can be oblivious sometimes but....to not notice your face gaining freckles?
I like musicals. There, I said it. Whether it's The Greatest Showman or Oklahoma!, if a musical is playing I will pay attention. Sometime last year, while I was brainlessly scrolling on YouTube, I came across a singer doing a cover of this song called "Hold Them Down". It was a incredible villain’s song and I was building my " Villain" playlist at the time. Of course, I looked into it and found the world's sweetest fandom. Note: Epic fans are the sweetest, most encouraging bunch out there to each as we all therapy thanks to Jay. The Epic Fandom is so wholesome.
Jorge "Jay" Rivera-Herrans is the composer and sings the lead role of Odysseus. Epic is based of the ancient Greek epic poem, Odyssey written by Homer. The music is an addictive blend of genres and incredible storytelling. Each song is ,quite honestly, epic. The Vocals are very much #vocalgoals. I want my voice to do the things they do.
Jay and the other vocalists are so endearing. The content they produce is just *chef's kiss". I never saw a group of people have this much fun doing the things they do. And I honestly hope they find a way to include some of the inprov that both the vocalists and the fandom made. I will put some videos below so can see what I mean.
This here is a fan made trailer. Look at the Quality!
This is an example of the improv Jay and Vocalist Troy did.
And the Animatics! They made the music come to life even more. Note: the Female vocalist here is Jay's Girlfriend. They met while making this musical and they are the absolute cutest couple ever!
So, there you have it. Epic: The Musical is an incredible adventure I hope you enjoy. I have actually been really tame with this musical. I remember how gungho I was over Hamilton, so much so that my siblings have an almost PTSD reaction whenever they here the music. I didn't want to traumatized them again so I kept it to myself. Thankfully, a cousin of mine is a fan as well. We were able to do our little fan squee together.
I think we can all agree that 2024 has been a wild ride. To be honest, some days I'd still feel like the year was still in the beginning. Then I looked at the calendar and would see that it's June, or August, even October.
I don't make New Year Resolutions. I never keep them for long. Well, except for that one year I jokingly said my goal was to stay alive. I'm still doing that so I guess I kinda counts🤔. But things like exercise more or stuff like that, can't do. I will be devoted to working out for 3 to 4 months before I quit because I either lost my stride or broke a toe in a non-exercise related incident (both of these happened irl). I will then stop and only work out sporadically.
If any of you are wondering how I plan to ring in the New Year, I plan to do it alone, in my bed with a 1000+ page book or talking with my siblings about whatever topic surfaces. That is how this single girl will be rolling. I lead a really boring life if left to my own devices.
Quick side note question: If you are reading a story that is in volumes, do you count each volume as it's own book or do only count the one story? I am curious. One would dramatically increase my read in 2024 list another would make it look neater and less chaotic.
You all can feel free to tell me what you think below. And Happy New Year!
P.S. I actually rang in the New Year playing solitaire. Endless games of solitaire.........Yeah, I'm going to go read now.
As you all may know, I knit. For years now, LB2 has been trying to get me to make him a thick black hat, preferably a beret. I told him that if he got me the yarn, I'd make it for him (I also asked him to help fix a sweater of mine). I started working on it on Saturday evening, got busy with life on Sunday, and had a migraine all through the day on Monday. As soon as my headache fade to a mild hum in the evening, I pulled out his unfinished hat determined to finish it. And I did it in record time.
LB2 and I had plans to got out somewhere later in the week and I knew he would complain about not having his hat. He's persistent like that. I didn't want to deal with his depressed face so I pushed myself. My knitting speed has gotten faster since I last made a beret. What took me six to seven hours took me three and a half to four hours. If it would keep him happy and silent, I'm doing it.
Anyway, I then blissfully went to sleep, super satisfied that I got it done only to wake up the next morning in pain. My right hand felt stiff, on fire and aching. The pain only went away if I laid on it with my whole body. Not exactly what I had planned for yesterday. My hand hurt so much, I reluctantly wrote things down with my left hand rather than push through the pain and use my right one. The upside, if there is one, is that LB2 wore his beret around the house all week. I post a picture next week
The pain is mostly gone now so I will be trying my best to keep my hand from over use. So on that note I leave you. As always, feel free to leave me a message below.
On Monday, Eurovision released a video showing the venue for next year's contest. The stage is absolutely amazing. The Lighting Technicians deserve a raise or bonus. You just need to see it for yourself.
Basel is the third largest city in Switzerland after Zurich and Geneva. It is considered the cultural capital of Switzerland and is home to the oldest public art museum (established 1661). The University of Basel is also amongst the world's oldest universities. In short, it is a beautiful historical place and probably the the most fitting spot to hold the contest.
In other less important news, I just found out that two books I've been looking for for years are out of print and not likely to enter print again any time soon. There are no words to describe my feelings about that.
In 2017, I got a free copy of the first book in Desiree Williams' Heart Song trilogy. I loved it but sadly couldn't afford the other books at the time. Later when I looked for them, they were no where to be found. I just found out on Sunday that the author pulled them. If there is any one else out there looking for them, it's time to give up.
I was thinking about Jeopardy! today and how I missed Alex Trebek. I have nothing but fond memories of the show and its former host. I haven't watched it in years but there was a time I watched it daily. Yeah, #NerdGirl here.
I used to finish up my homework while answering questions. Some were right, some were wrong. The one thing I took away was that I know a lot of useless trivia. My relatives, who always seemed to show up around that time for some reason, would be like "You're so smart! You should be on the show". Ummm, no. They sometimes have math questions and math and I don't talk to each other unless we absolutely need to. So, I would smile, say thank you and answer questions under my breath.
Even now, I feel awkward when people say that I am smart. I'm not. I know my weak spots and I wish people would stop looking at me like I know a lot. All I know are random factoids and the basics. I am ordinary. No really, I know a LOT of Random trivia that will pop out at the weirdest moments. I will tell you about another time.
Sometimes my siblings come to me with questions and I don't know the answer. I will look it up for them but it gets irritating after a while. Like, look it up on your own. Stop expecting me to know everything. Dad calls me " Encyclopedia " as a joking nickname. It is not true.
Sorry. Guess I vented a little bit. As always, feel free to leave me a message below.
I don't know why but people tend to get nostalgic as the temperature plummets. So, if you need something else to listen to besides Christmas music, that's old and fun to listen to, I suggest Lux Radio Theatre. It will give you a nostalgia punch and give you a brief reprieve from the Christmas music (Let's be honest. Not everyone can take a constant 24-hour bombardment of sleigh bells and Greensheives for roughly a month).
It was a radio show that aired weekly, doing adaptations of popular films of that era. Lux Radio Theatre aired from 1934 to 1955. Each episode was an hour long and featured famous film actors and actresses occasionally reprising their iconic roles (except for those first two years when the did Broadway plays).
I discovered Lux Radio Theatre years ago when I was browsing around Internet Archive. I found even more episodes on YouTube. It quickly became a family favorite. Imagine a bunch of children gathered around speakers they connected to my mp3 player, listening intently to William Powell and Myrna Loy do a radio adaptation of their film The Thin Man. Can you see it? Now, go one step further. Imagine a little girl from the 1930s or 1940s, listening to that very same program on the radio in her living room. That girl being my grandma.
Sadly, she is no longer here so I can't ask her if she listened to Lux Radio Theatre as a child. I know she loved black and white films but that is about it. Every time I listen to an episode, I wonder if she listened to it as well and feel comfort in that, almost maybe, connection.
For the fun of it, I'll include a few episodes below.
I hope you enjoyed these. As Always, feel free to leave me a message below.