And I gladly stand up

Hello America! Happy 4th of July!

Well, I've had a lot of fun lately! I'll give you some highlights...

• Braves game: I went to a Braves game last Thursday, June 28. Despite the Braves' loss (bringing my season record to 1-2), I had a good time. Woohoo!
• Jerry Seinfeld: I saw a Jerry Seinfeld stand-up show! It was absolutely hysterical! I don't think I truly realized how hilarious he is until I was at that show. I am still laughing about some of the jokes. I know stand-up folks say this about improv folks, but I can't even imagine how difficult it must be to do stand-up.
• Tim McGraw/Kenny Chesney: I actually feel like I've posted since I went to this concert, but I don't remember mentioning it. If I already mentioned it, deal with it. It was on a Sunday night, so that was slightly lame, but it was so much fun! After much debate, I think I prefer Tim's music to Kenny's. I know -- that was bold!

Aside from those big highlights, several other things have happened:

• I discovered a nail in my tire, so I look forward to fixing that.
• The saga of my floor continues. Yes, the floor that flooded in May of 2011. The new floor is buckling at strange places, and I hope to get it fixed within the next few weeks, although it might involve redoing the entire floor. YESSSSSSS!
• I got some new running shoes! LOVE THEM! (Thank you, Mom!)
• I had a doctor's appointment -- same ol', same ol'. Not wonderful, but not bad.

Well, I guess I better stop running my mouth so I can get ready for a POOL PARTY!

Whoa-oh-oh-oh-ohhhhh. How sweet it is!

Helloooo. I don't know why I am staying up so late when I have such a big day tomorrow. Perhaps it's the silly in me.

My friend Brian died on Wednesday night. I received the notification at 12:04 a.m. Needless to say, Thursday was a very challenging day. I was overwhelmed, though, by the support from my friends and family. Although it's very hard to know someone has lost the battle with CF, it's also refreshing to know that he lived a life that should make him proud.

Thursday was a big mass email day and involved interviewing candidates, so there was a lot going on and very little time to process the news. It kind of amazed me how well I was able to contain myself when necessary, but how shameless I was in the brief stints alone in my office. I honestly think that my composure, even in tough situations, has really been enhanced by improv. When it's time to perform, I have to rid myself of everything going on outside of the theater so that I can go on stage with a clean slate. I feel like I handled it all so gracefully, which is a lot for good ol' "macaroni water" me.

The big whammy is that I performed in a show Thursday night, too. So, having had probably 25 tiny tear outbursts throughout the day, several interviews to sit in on, and a huge technical failure day with our mass email tool (WHAT A TOOL!), it amazed me how well I was able to compartmentalize it for the duration of the show. I felt like I had a really great show, and I think it's a result of all of the emotion circulating in my body.

I got to do several new(ish) and exciting things: I was the therapist for Emo Couples Therapy, I commentated for Slow-Mo Sports Commentary (I think that was the name), I played Oscar Musical, I was a caller in Phones, and I played Musical Styles. It was also my friend's birthday (BA) and he was in the show, so there was great energy among the entire cast. Fun times! It was such a positive end to a day that started so painfully.

Today has been a nonstop day. I was still troubleshooting yesterday's technical issues, but I got everything finished. I got some groceries, too, which I'd needed to do all week. I also went to the bank. I had a crew shift tonight at the theatre and, since I was running super early, I had time to stop at Marshalls on my way. I got an orange shirt and some teeny tiny boat shoes. They're navy, red, and white, and they are now named "My Braves Shoes."

Well, tomorrow I have a ton to do... like perform at a festival and go see Tim McGraw. It's going to be exhausting, but I really can't wait. I'm going to try to exercise, too, so I better get to sleep. When did it become so late? Geez!

Thank you again to everyone who reached out to me on Thursday. Here's another way you can help: http://www.cff.org/great_strides/drewdotson5267.

Shopping success

Well, Saturday I woke up and ate the long-awaited pancakes. It was definitely all that I anticipated... and maybe even more. I had eight pancakes and lots of milk. Mmm, delicious. Need. More.

I then went and did some very unsuccessful shopping at the mall, which resulted in me being in a bad mood, like usual. If I ever go shopping for something in particular, I tend to return home in a very bad mood, usually because I haven't had any luck. I was looking for a dress, which is always tricky, but I also couldn't find a pair of jeans. I mean, how hard is that?

After the initial shopping failure, I went and got my hair did. It seems super-dark and gothic to me, but I'm sure I'm just adjusting. It already looks lighter today. When I got back to my parents' house, my mom and I decided to go fail at shopping again... and we did.

It's funny because then, I got up today and tried one last time - mainly to find a dress - and I happened to like the first one I tried on and found some jeans on one of the first few pairs. It's crazy how that works! Then, when I was checking out, I realized I went to high school with the girl; she threatened to kill me once because someone else was mad at me. While it sounds pretty frightening, I actually thought it was hilarious. I could tell the girl was totally embarrassed and I gave her the benefit of the doubt and acted like I didn't recognize her. Gotta love high school!

Then, I got some cute running shoes, which was really just the icing on the cake. I figured I'd take a stab at looking for some just since I'd been so productive already on the shopping trip. And I love them!

Happy birthday to my friend!