Are You Ready, Boots?

“Congratulations! The next few months will bring you all sorts of good fortune and opportunities. Your only problem will be spotting such goodies when they come along and knowing what to do with them. Be prepared to take risks, to accept the challenges that come along and to take a philosophical approach to whatever life brings you. The coming year will be quite an eye-opener!”

That was one of my horoscope’s this week. Yeah, I’m one of those people. I don’t really believe in them. I do think they’re fun to read. I also like to see if anything it brings up comes true. If anyone is curious, I’m an Aquarius.

Anyway, it’s been a week of reflecting for me. This is the time of year in the Jewish calendar for atoning, celebrating, and reflecting as we begin a New Year.  It’s been a busy, but good year. It’s been challenging, but challenges teach us things about ourselves. I’m still wondering what the part about goodies and what to do with them will mean. However, the horoscope wraps up the past couple of months for me. The challenges. The good fortune. The opportunities. 

I’m getting a couple of amazing opportunities in October. One is work related. The other is happening today. I’m flying to Chicago for (30 hours) because I won a contest! First off ... I don’t really win contests. I’ve won one other. I wasn’t picked to play Bozo’s Buckets when I was little. I never win scratch-off tickets. I haven’t won any lotteries for Broadway shows. But, I felt like I won the jackpot when I won the contest to go see the final dress rehearsal of Kinky Boots The Musical! My friend, Alicia, was with me when I got the good news via Twitter. I think she thought I was a bit coo-coo for cocoa puffs when I started jumping up and down and repeatedly saying, “Oh my god! Oh my god!” She was good sport about it and it was nice to share good news with someone in person and not electronically. If you haven’t noticed from past blogs I’m a bit of a Broadway fan. Kinky Boots The Musical always was a show I planned to see. In addition, former Priscilla Queen of the Desert cast member and the seriously talented Ellyn Marie Marsh is in it! So a special shout-out and BIG thank you to her and Kinky Boots for giving Broadway lovers the chance to go see the final dress rehearsal for the show before it opens up in Chicago this week. I can’t tell you how excited I am to see my parents, meet a Tweep of mine, meet Ellyn and everyone ...and be one of the first people to see this show. 

I may be running on fumes after a night of work. I’ll be coming home Monday morning to a long, 14 hour work day ... but this is just one opportunity that wasn’t meant to be passed up. I mean my horoscope was right about the opportunities. #Blessed. So I’ll be putting on my boots (sorry, they’re not kinky boots, just Uggs)and hopping a plane for a fast trip home in an hour or so. See you in Chicago! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cUmw5qn-AI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BlejP2oeT0

A Practically Perfect Day

Hello everyone! It’s another late night/early morning blog. I’m sensing an unhealthy trend here. LOL Anyway, I was going to spend my afternoon seeing one musical ... which I did ... but wound up seeing two!  I made it a Disney Day! I mean, I do work for Mickey Mouse! I did, indeed, pass Mickey on the way to see Newsies. Let me tell you. My headline for that show would be, “A Cast With Wicked Talent,” or “The Best Dancing On Broadway.” I mean wow!! I mean wow! Did I say, wow? I mean everyone was amazing and Jeremy Jordan ... well what a performer. What an uber talented guy. He brings just such great heart to the role of Jack Kelly. Anyway, if you live in New York go see it. I mean you know I love my Priscilla Queen of the Desert... but Newsies nearly ties with Priscilla for being my favorite show. 

Speaking of Priscilla, I figured I’d go home after the matinee and rest after what was a long an emotionally taxing week. But, I thought to myself, “Why not make it a Disney Day and go see Mary Poppins and former Priscilla cast member Jeff Metzler! I’ve seen Mary Poppins before. I had second row seats two years ago. Everyone was like, “With all the Broadway shows, that’s what you picked!??” Whatever! I love it! It holds a special place in my heart. It was during that trip to New York I started thinking about finally just going after my dreams and moving here. Two songs in that show touched me that night. “Feed The Birds” and “Anything Can Happen.” The lyrics to both those songs just spoke to me. They still do. When I heard them again tonight it brought me back to two years ago .... and to the hard decision to try, for the umpteenth time, to move to NY. 

This week was a rough one for me. It was an emotional roller coaster rider. My car fell off the tracks a couple of times, but luckily I was belted in. Teachings from Mary Poppins was just what I needed to regain a bit of perspective. While I didn’t have a Spoon Full of Sugar during the show, I did have a bag full of sugar-filled candy corn. I munched on the sugary treat and watched Mary Poppins and remembered ... anything can happen if you let it.

I’ve included links to the two songs below. If you haven’t seen Mary Poppins the Musical and want to see a show ... see it. It’s not just on Broadway! Mary is dropping in on cities all across the U.S. as part of the National Tour. While Mary is taking flight all over ... you can only see Jeff Metzler here. Jeff, if you are reading this ... you were Practically Perfect. ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pzgf4HDeCXI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0adpbKfIp0I

**For those of you reading my blog for the first time “The Yellow Brick Road” entry I wrote last year talks more about me and me decision to move to The Big Apple.