Renn Festival with Sarah!!

Finally, here are some pictures detailing the adventures of Sarah and I when she came to visit last weekend!

Here we are together with Pippin!! 

Sarah makin' da pizza dough. Hard work, but yummm.....

The Rennaissance Festival! It was HUGE! Like a THEME PARK! I had no idea. It was amAZing.

Sarah's beautiful tiara, and my fantastical pirate hat!! 

This picture speaks for itself......

That's all for the weekend! It was great! 

Cheers!

Reality is creeping into my carefully constructed world view

During the month of August I incurred more expenses than I am used to.

I was paying for two voice lessons a week, taking care of extra installation things which my roomie will pay me for when she comes, and renewing subscriptions to singer magazines which provide me with audition info....

All told I incurred about $400 in extra expenses.
.......All on top of the carefully nickeled and dimed budget which I normally live upon.

The result?

I am LOW right now.

I literally have about $20 to my name.

Also, my parents who usually provide substantial monentary sustenance in times like these......are not goin' for it with their usual gusto. And who can blame them since they already paid my car payment for the month (another sum $233 I did not include in the total extra expenses listed above), which I was not able to pay.

They are weaning me from their checking teat. (yes, I did just make that analogy. Live with it.)

So, the only word I can really use to describe this situation is...

Uh, shit.

Next year the parental assistance stops altogether, and after this month....I am completely scared shitless about this eventuality.

How will I EVER be able to pay my way through the world?
*shakes head in abject despair*

I'm probably going to stay in Minneapolis for another year and study.
The plan is to get a job to support myself....
How?
Everyone is being fired.
Everyone.
No one is hiring.
I. Am. Screwed.

Shit.
Shitshitshitshitshit.



On another note, does anyone else think that Mayor Michael Bloomberg is secretly Broadway legend Joel Grey?

....Cheers.

The NOTHING!

So....

Sort of the theme of this summer, and what will probably be the theme of the coming year is, "What am I going to do next year!?"

There are several options and I just honestly don't know what to do with myself.

1) Audition for resident artist programs.
- The problem with this option is that I'm too young. I'm probably not going to get into anything at this level. Bag says to wait and see where the voice is at the end of the year, but unfortunately I think she is forgetting that Res. Art. programs hold auditions in NOVEMBER and it will be just a feeeeewwww months too late before we know if I'm ready for them. I will do a summer program however.

2) Get a Doctorate
- Everyone has told me not too. Performers are telling me it's not worth it unless you want to teach voice at a college level (which is not my goal), and the people who hire performers are telling me that it's considered a parking lot for vocalists. Soo....I guess that's a no.

3) Go back to Iowa and take the classes needed to be a certified teacher there
- Not so that I can teach right now, but so that I can teach someday. Knowing me, at some point I am going to want to settle down. I like having a home and a routine. Teaching drama at a high school would be a real possibility in the future. But....Bag says no. I need to keep studying and working towards my career.

4) Get a regular job in a shop or something in Minneapolis and study with Bag for another year
- I feel like I should keep studying.....But I just hate the idea of working a monotonous job in a store and making little to no money. Not to mention those darn student loans which are going to bite me in the bum as soon as I graduate. However, this is looking like the most likely option at this point. Oy.

5) Go somewhere to finish my bachelors in theatre
- As much as I would love to, this is pretty much a non-option. I don't have the money to keep going to school. My parents aren't going to pay for me to keep going to school. I would love to have the degree, I think in the future when the time comes to teach, I will wish I had the degree; I just don't see how it's possible. The money just isn't there.

So..........................
This is the giant question looming before me.
The proverbial Neverending Story 'Nothing' is awaiting me in May, waiting to rip trees out by their roots and exterminate Rock Biters before my eyes.
*drops head on desk*
*incoherent noise*

Cheers

the delicate balance

The whole grains are back, and all is right with the world.

Just thought I'd let you know.

Cheers.

*crazy eyes*

Argh.

Ok.

I don't know if I'm gonna make it this week.

I really don't know if I can stand another week of broccoli, meat, fruit, and cheese.

It's been one day.
One day into week 3 and I am goin' nuts.
I did my running (which I hate) at my chicken for dinner and....
I basically had to force it down.
And it was GOOD chicken.

I just can't eat this much meat.
I'm getting sick of it.
Ack.
It's gonna be like that time in middle school when I ate nothing but yogurt and baby carrots for several months and haven't really been able to eat yogurt since.

I'm gonna keep trying.
But.....I just don't know how long I'm gonna last.
It's gonna be one HUGE weight off my shoulders when I'm finally done with this crap.

The balloon is getting bigger and soon it's gonna pop.

*crazy eyes*

I.
NEED.
STARCH!

*runs with muppet arms flailing*

CAKE BOSS

I thought I would share with all of you my obsession of about a year now; an obsession which has reached epic proportions.

'Cake Boss' on TLC.

This show is seriously addicting.

It's this huge incredibly Italian family in New Jersey who own a bakery.
The bakery is owned by Buddy.
He's 'da boss'.

Every episode they make these gigantic and fantastical cakes for all sorts of occasions.
Buddy's crazily Italian sisters run the upstairs and generally take a few minutes out of their day to run down and harass Buddy about something.
The guys in the downstairs baking/decorating area play a prank or two and have some laughs.
And some FANTASTIC cakes get made.

It's the personalities that make the show.
They're just so......ITALIAN!
It's hilarious.
I cannot explain my obsession, except to say that you should watch.
And learn.
And love.

=D

In conclusion, my interest in 'Cake Boss', 'Challenge', and 'Cupcake Wars' have got me thinking about cake and cupcake decorating.
This is going to be a thing.
I've already got some materials together and my first experiment takes place this coming weekend.

Be prepared.

Cheers!

Work it out.

It has been two weeks since my last carbohydrate.
Normally that's how one gets 'back on the carb-less' wagon; two weeks of no carbs at all to jump start the system, then back to tiny bits of low carb stuff, then introduce the whole grains so that one may live like a vaguely normal person.

I've decided to go another week.

That's three weeks.
No carbs.

Every night I do ab exercises on the exercise ball, and then use my weights.

Today I started running again.

....I really hate running.

.............and I really hate having no carbs.

But I'm doing it.

So THERE universe!
You do not control me!
Didn't see THIS comin' did ya?
Week 3!

Let's do this thing.