I've been listening to a lot of music lately. I set my ipod to alphabetical by artist, and I'm about halfway through at this point. I have some stuff on there that I've never heard before. Such as my "free download of the week". Well, I'm in the "J"s and Jaguar Wright's, "Let Me Be The One" came up. I can't believe songs like this get made. Granted, it's not nearly as bad as the Blackeyed Peas, "Lovely Lady Lumps". However, it makes me cringe in the same way.

Below I will list a section of the lyrics for you to enjoy. But before that, know that I had just been listening to the Indigo Girls. They have some nice poetry and imagery. Such as, from the first song of theirs I ever heard, "Ghost":

"Though I see your face before me
It would launch a thousand ships
Bring your heart back to my isle
As the sand beneath me slips.
As I burn up in your presence
And I know now how it feels
To be weakend like Achilles
With you always at my heels..."

Now, maybe I am partial to this song b/c at the time I was 18 and trying to get over the first boy I ever fell in love with and I really identified with the story here. Loving someone, not being with them, then making up this perfect relationship and turning them into this ideal that doesn't exist. Or, perhaps it was the fact that in my Latin class we were studying Greek mythology, and there aren't usually a lot of Greek references in modern lyrics. Whatever the case may be, here are the promised lyrics that make me sad:

"When your troubles smoke like chronic,
Let me be your gin and tonic.
When your temper's (something indistinguishable)
Let me be your gasoline
When water's on your brow
Pick me up I'll be your towel
All I wanna be is everything you need.
As long as you just let me...
Let me be the one.
Let me be the one.
We could have some fun (some fun)
If you would just let me be
Let me be your girl
I'll give you the world (the world)

I could be the pain in your neck
But I'd rather be your good sex
I could be an argument
But I'd rather be your heaven sent
I could be your alimony
But I'd rather be your matrimony
All you need to know is what my actions show
And that's that I love you"

I'm not saying this to be judgemental. I mean, someone wrote these lyrics for a reason. They were moved to do so. I'm just saying, for my personal taste, no thank you.

Ah, John Marovich. Sometimes I wonder what you are up to.

This is a reminder to me:
Next time I am at Amoeba:
True Romance soundtrack
Joanna Newsom
Fiona Apple
Jack Johnson

Crap!! Nanna, do I need to watch my back in NYC? Are you plotting my demise?

ashley's creature-nemesis:

The Dreaded BLOWFISH

'What creature will become your nemesis?' at QuizGalaxy.com

I must own a surf board.

The end.

sometimes at work, reality slaps me in the face.

i will one day go through papers and hold my parents' death certificate. There will be a cause of death. I will know how to read and make sense of that paper because i see them every day. Someday an analyst will be reading my medical records to make a benefit determination. Under Family History, it will say mother deceased due to xx, father deceased due to yy.

huh.

Dear Nanna and Bill and Michelle:

I rode the elevator to work this morning and started laughing. Luckily, I was by myself.

Man, I wonder if that guy was able to get back across state lines.

Happy Birthday to Asha!

Faith's niece turned 4, and I went to her birthday party yesterday. Little kids seriously say the most wonderful things. I wish she had a mic on and everything that came out of her mouth was recorded. That kid is HILARIOUS! Because with kids, everything comes from an innocent/honest perspective. How old are we when we lose that?

Later she had a pinata (i can't figure out how to put ~ above the n--so just pretend it's there). I was holding her as we were waiting for the blindfold to come out. She looked at me and said, "Ashley, I really really love you a lot. Now I'm going to go hit the pinata."

Man, that gets me right here. *points to heart*

I am leaving for Vegas in 4.5 hours, and I'm not showered, packed, or in bed.

Crap.

Dustin Sterling just shot to the top of my all-time-favorite-people list. He sent me this for my JMcB fix:

http://www.myspace.com/sunnyfx
click "Peanut Hunt"

He's just so adorable I want to bake him in an oven and eat him with a spoon!

strange dreams

It started off as Spy Kids. I have never seen the movies, but this was a scene from it. The main characters were lego people. Then I'm running around an empty mall with Brian Boe and his two daughters. I take a vitamin e pill and it gets stuck in my throat. There are no drinking fountains, but a glass of water is out. I have some. A sales clerk walks over to me b/c she sees me looking for Brian again. She thinks I'm going to steal something. Then she notices her water has been drunk. So we get down on our hands and knees to see where it spilled. I don't tell her it was me. I try to find the spill on the carpet. Then I go outside the mall to meet zha. I haven't seen him in a really long time, and we hug really hard. I am taller than him. We walk around outside to find a place to eat. I don't have shoes on and feel weird about it. As we're leaving the restaurant, I notice the couple leaving in front of me doesn't have shoes on. Neither do the servers. I then have a 30 minute conversation about the legalities of servers not wearing shoes.

Origins:
I think the reason I was taller than zha in my dream is b/c I'm really protective of him. I take a vitamin e pill every morning with breakfast. Brian Boe talks about his girls all the time at work. When I worked at L.A. Weightloss, by law we couldn't wear open toed shoes when our phlebotomist was in. No clue where the Spy Kids thing comes in to play.

Jack McBrayer...you have 39 days.

zha said something so nice to me today i almost cried.

My mom has a PET scan Wednesday. It's only for a routine checkup, but it's always a little nerve-wracking. Because what if the lymphoma comes back, you know?

My belly is full.

Went to see a JesterZ show tonight. Brandey's last one and Jason Lewis's...mmmm...I don't know what. He's in town from Canada this weekend and he performed. Anyway, we went to this pub around the corner where I had probably about 60 oz of water in an hour--I was that thirsty. Got to see Higbee. He leaves July 5th for IO Chicago's 5 week course that Nanna, Specht, Samwise, and Mindy took last year. Saw Michelle perform. This was the first time I've seen her in an L4 show. It was muchos exciting! (I liked your cell phone character in Hooverville) Oh, I also had the best slice of carrot cake in my whole life. It had some sort of lemon or orange zest to it. I realize these are very different flavors, but it was so slight I couldn't decipher. It was huge and delicious.

Oh, went to Cassy's today after 5 straight hours of improv rehearsal/class, and before the show. We watched You Got Served. It made me sad that they actually tried to have a plot and a story. Please stop. Just get back to the AMAZING dancing.

Countdown to Cirque: 5 days!!!

Hip Hop, Take 2

Last week Michelle and I took a hip hop class at the gym. There was this bounce/squat/turn thing that, after repeating for 20 minutes, took its toll on my legs. Not my knees, mind you, but my actual thigh muscles were not strong enough to sustain such a movement. I was sore for almost my entire LA trip, especially Friday night. It was sorta depressing. Except that it's only been a little more than two weeks since I've started exercising again--I have to keep reminding myself of that. So tonight we are going to try again.

Wish me luck.

I am not at work today. I drove straight from LA to Bill's for a Remainders meeting, then home for a shower and bed. I hadn't slept in a couple of days, and when I woke up this morning at 5, it all came together. So I called in and slept, trying to get rid of the major headache that was pounding my eyes out.

So, The Trip. Friday I got to Dustin's around 8:30, then we went to Cha-Chas to meet up w/ my old college friends who I haven't seen in years (with the exception of Caroline and Behn, who I hooked up with last year at the LA Improv Fest). The bar was fun, until I realized just how much three shots of fire water was bad for me. I ended up sitting outside for a while until I was able to stand again. People took turns keeping me company. We closed the bar, and headed to an all night grocery store for food. Strawberries, cereal, and cookie dough. The three key ingredients to healthy living. Back at Dustin's we put in True Romance, then went to bed around 4 or 5. Needless to say, I did not make my 10 am workshop. But I did have breakfast with Bill and Jacque, then Jamba Juice a couple hours later with Chris DeMarco, a PHX to LA transplant-slash-my old hiking buddy.

Saturday, Ben met Dustin and I for pizza. Oh, a fun story: So, Dustin explained where the pizza place was, but as I've only been in this neighborhood one other time and that was a year ago, I had no idea what he was talking about. Then, as we were walking down the street, I said, "Hey, I ate at this place last year with zha and David. They have great pizza!" *lightbulb* "Oh, this is where we're going!" Then we saw Charna speak, then Dasariski, then the Armando Show, then Beer Shark Mice. Um, maybe not in that exact order, but Charna was definitely first. And Jack McB was in the Armando Show. I, unfortunatly, did not get to meet him....yet. I anticipate many photo ops at Del Close in July. Unless he doesn't attend, in which case I will have to kill him. Or kidnap him and keep him in my closet. Anyway, because I know Mike Coen (was his Den Mom for PIF), I got into a show for free. That was awesome. After the shows, we stood around for two hours waiting for free food. And Jack. He never came out. Whatever. I'm so over you. Oh, who are we kidding--no I'm not. Then we headed to Behn and Caroline's for some late night socializing. Came home around 4.

Sunday I was going to finally meet Mike Sandow (a friend of zha's I've been hearing about for a year), but we both slept in and he had to go to a shoot and I had to drive home. So I will catch him in August when I come back. The Remainders are doing several shows in LA, which means anyone who is in Los Angeles must come see! Oh, and Caroline invited me to their annual Malibu Memorial Day party--which I was really looking forward to (three straight days of surfing!!). But I think that's when we'll be in Canada. Sucks.

Hmmm...I am now thinking of the cookie dough in Dustin's fridge and wishing it were in mine. Because I would TOTALLY be eating it right now.

Holy Crap!

The Remainders are going to the Toronto Improv Fest!!! We just got the news Friday. We've applied to a few festivals this year, mainly to get name rec out there. We weren't really expecting to get into anything. But we did! And our webpage is up (although, it is very much in its infancy state): www.remaindersimprov.com.

Life is good.

Dear Blogger,
Oh, fine! Be down all day, only to fix the problem just as I have to leave for my hip-hop class. I'll get you!

*shakes fist in air*

Astrea posted this pic on social insect.

That seems like a lifetime ago.

pooped

This is my week:
Remainders rehearsal, short film read-through, Tommys rehearsal, KsomeA rehearsal, 2 chiropractor appointments, 4 trips to the gym, and a drive to LA. And I'm still working at 6 am. I pre-apologize for my tiredness/lack of conversation participation.

Feel free to call me Friday after 3 pm - especially if you are a Verizon customer. I will be solo in my car for 5 hours and in need of stimulation.

On the up note, my teeth are all dentist-cleaned. One of my favorite feelings.

Brandey is engaged!!!

I love Michelle Merriman!!!

We now have a standing date Fridays at 5:45...Latin Impact at the gym! It was ever so much fun. And who knew you could get a whole ab workout standing up??

I've also discovered that my hips won't move in a direction that: a) is sexy , b) looks cool, c) is suave or d) all of the above. But I don't care. We had fun!

On the way home, my friend Dustin called to make plans for next weekend. I'm going to the LA Improv Fest a second year in a row. And I get to see my old college friends! Caroline and Behn and Ptoghyknoe (pronounced "Tiffany") and hopefully Joe and whoever else is there. In almost exactly one week from today, I should be pulling into the LA area.

Sweet!