DD phone home

My silly phone isn't cooperating with me. Yesterday I couldn't hear anyone that called. The same thing happened today, and then some key buttons quit working. After growing increasingly impatient today, I decided to use this back-up that I promise is from the early 2000s. Now I just hooked up this Zack Morris style cell phone and will give it a whirl tomorrow, I guess.

I just got home from rehearsal. The roads were icy, so me and KW got there late. Then, rehearsal went a little longer than expected because we were working on something. Add the ice into the drive home and here it is after 11:00 p.m. I'm about to go to sleep!

Anyway, I just thought I'd document here that my phone is acting a fool.

Sweet dreams!

Standin' in the light of your halo

I am not a fan of that song by Beyonce (the one I quoted in my title). I don't even know why I put that as my title. I'm never going to look at this post again.

Well, first things first, it's kinda late. I went to Starbucks this evening and got a half-caffeinated vanilla latte. I don't think I got too caffeinated, but this shortened workweek also has me slightly off-kilter. Anyway, I plan on going to sleep RIGHT AFTER I finish this post. Take that, Blogger!

Yesterday the Braves fell out of first place for the first time since May. It hurt. It truly did. However, the good news is that there's still plenty of time. I really don't want it to come down to the wire, so I have trust that they'll pull through. I changed my Facebook profile picture in their honor today, so they better not do anything crazy.

I'm in tomorrow night's show, so I'm excited for that! Also, we found out tonight that we're going to have Mondays off of rehearsal for the next couple of months. I'm pretty sure I'm in shock, but I am also feeling super-relieved. With how run-down I've been feeling lately, I could definitely use an extra night to rejuvenate - especially at the beginning of the week. I can't wait to get on that stage tomorrow!

I had a marathon study appointment yesterday. It was this big check-in appointment where I did basically everything that I did when I was originally screened for the study. The ironic part is, since I haven't been on the study drug (OR PLACEBO!) for almost two weeks, testing these things was absolutely unnecessary. The bottom line is that I'll get paid and they wanted me to do it, but it sure was worthless. Regardless of whether or not I was on the drug or the placebo, it would have been out of my system.

Tomorrow I have my sinus CT scan, so hopefully I can schedule my surgery sooner than later and proceed like normal. I can't believe my ENT appointment was only a week ago. It seems like I've been waiting to schedule this surgery for MONTHS. Ooh, drama queen.

Honestly, I know there's more to say, but I don't think I'll try to retrieve it from my brain. Odds are that it's just more rambling...per usual.

Have a good night!!!! HAPPY THURSDAY!

He knows my nose

Wow. Wow. I can't believe I haven't said anything in so long. It feels like I was just writing in here... Well, where should I start? HECTIC.

Saturday was a fun day. I slept in and went to the gym. Then, my mom and I went over to my grandmother's house and we all (plus my uncle) went out to eat at El Toro. At one point, my grandmother said, "I had something so hot I couldn't eat it the other day and I thought of Drew. My tongue caught on fire." I don't know why, but it cracked me up. Lunch was delicious!

I worked lights on Saturday night and I'd say it was pretty successful. Aside from a few iffy music cues, I thought it went really well. It was fun and mentally stimulating all at once. Woohoo!

Sunday was lazyish. I slept in (again!) and went to the pool. The weather was actually pretty cool, so I didn't stay out for very long. I came inside and napped on and off for most of the Braves game. The Braves made a MIRACULOUS comeback to win the game, so that left me with a warm and fuzzy feeling!

On Sunday night I dreamt that my front four teeth were messed up. It was almost like they were baby teeth again. The weirdest thing is that I know someone else (MM) who also had a jacked-up-front-four-teeth dream simultaneously. Tell me something cooler than that...

Rehearsal was canceled on Monday since we don't have a show this week, so I ended up going to the Braves game (again!) with ES. The Braves killed it, so I happily improved my record to 6-2; I broke my two-game losing streak, thankfully. Even though I probably shouldn't have stayed out so late on my one night off this week, it was a lot of fun. I wouldn't take it back!

Today was taxing. I went to the ENT for a check-up and it looks to be time for SURGERY. I get a CT scan next week to get the full scope, but it's pretty much a definite thing. This came as no surprise, but I'm still irritated. I also got an email about needing to see a kidney specialist, so add that to my list of nonsense. Summer 2010 will go down in history... I'm ready for it to end.

I worked the camera at a graduation show tonight, which is why I'm still up after 1:00 a.m. on a work night. This isn't my idea of a smart decision, but I've only been home for an hour. The Braves killed it tonight, but the Phillies won, too, soooo... We're up by 3 games, so I'll take it!

Party in my mouth

Cherries make the day better.

Well, today was an interesting one, I must say. Early this morning I got an email from the study coordinator. Although the blood level we were originally concerned about was normal, I've had two abnormal creatinine levels. Basically, from my understanding, if this level is high, it indicates poor kidney function. So, I got taken off of the drug. Now, I don't know if this is a permanent or temporary thing. I believe I am going to be getting an ultrasound done tomorrow, but I don't know for sure. The study folks are consulting other folks and I guess I'll learn more. It's got me wondering if the bouts of pain were from an actual kidney stone or just my kidney. I WANT AN ULTRASOUND! In other news, I have GOT to be on the real thing, right? Vanilla doesn't make your body go haywire.

I went to the grocery store today during lunchtime. I picked up a few items, and one of those items was CHERRIES. They have made me happy despite my angry kidneys.

I had rehearsal tonight and we worked on dialects. I was in a surprisingly good mood and laughed A LOT. Dialects are funny.

The Braves blew a 9-run lead today, so that was impressive. Thankfully the Phillies have also lost three games in a row, so we're still hanging on to our 2 1/2 game lead. Today's game was an absolute embarrassment. I kind of wished I hadn't been telecommuting so I didn't have to see it unfold.

I better rest up for tomorrow. I'd like to exercise in the morning and I have NO IDEA if I'm in the show or not. Plus, since I may or may not be getting an ultrasound, tomorrow will be spontaneous.

SLEEP WELL!

Upside down

I guess it's officially Tuesday. Booooo! I mean, I have no problem with Monday being over, but I wish it was about an hour earlier so I could get enough sleep tonight. Oh well! I'm over it.

Sunday was a good day. I slept in pretty late - almost until 11:00 a.m. It felt GOOD. I headed to the pool for a bit and it was literally unbearably hot. It caught me off-guard. It was almost impossible to sit there. I read a little bit and spent the rest of the time people-watching.

The Braves then DESTROYED the Cubs 16-5. It felt so good.

I then headed down to an improv workshop at the theatre. We worked with someone named Chelsea from Upright Citizens Brigade. While UCB does longform improv and we do not, it made me think about some things differently. The three hours passed by really quickly, but I had fun. It was neat to hear a different perspective on improv.

Monday was a good day! I don't like saying "Monday" because it still feels like it's Monday. Anyway, I hoped to work out before work, but I simply couldn't make myself get up. I headed to work and had some meetings. The Willy's group went on Monday instead of Tuesday, so that was a fun start to the week. I ended up leaving work a bit early so I could...............drumroll...............

get bloodwork done! When they drew (THAT'S ME!) blood for the study last week, one of my levels came back pretty low, so they needed to retest it. I should find out on Wednesday (hopefully) whether or not it is back to normal. If it isn't, I'm pretty sure I have to temporarily discontinue the drug.

I also got my official diet recommendations regarding this oxalate thing, and basically the list of restrictions is a mile long. The saddest part I read today was that I am not supposed to eat pretzels. That was surprising.

I worked out after work and hope to go in the morning if I can get some solid sleep. We had 9:00 p.m. rehearsal tonight, which explains why I'm up so late. We spent the time talking about strengths/weaknesses/goals, so I've done a lot of self-reflection today.

Looking forward to a new day... <3

One last thing! Today I checked my mail and got summoned for JURY DUTY! I am way excited. I'm in a standby group, so I am super-hopeful that we have to go. Then, after that, I hope I get selected to be on the jury. I love learning how things work.

If I knew what I was doin'...

I'd be doin' it right now. GEEZ! I love that song. It's called "I'm In" by Keith Urban.

Today was a surprisingly good day! After yesterday's shenanigans and weirdness, I didn't expect to have such a good day. The telecommuting helped in a major way. It's nice to escape from human interaction every now and then.

Here's the big news of the day, though... At lunchtime, I decided I'd take a stab at exercising. I didn't feel up to it, but I forced myself to do it anyway. Well, guess what I did?! I ran 3.2 miles without ever stopping at all. Not a foot on the side of the treadmill or anything! It really surprised me because, with the breathing issues I've been having, I didn't know I could accomplish that. However, no matter what my body was telling me, I told myself to keep trucking along. I consider this a big accomplishment; it reset my mind to where it needed to be. I'm hoping these are the first steps on my road to recovery.

I had an orange mango smoothie from Starbucks for semi-dinner. Thank you, favor-doer!

We had rehearsal tonight. I had to go downtown early to handle some fundraiser-related stuff for the event at the theatre next week. Rehearsal was neat because it was different than usual. We did some stuff I'd never seen/done before, so that kept it interesting.

Tomorrow is THURSDAY! And I'm off work FRIDAY! I am pretty stinkin' stoked!

Listen to me complain

Whining Wanda here.... Today was NOT a good day.

I got up early to go to the gym. I figured that, since I wasn't feeling too great yesterday, maybe a morning workout would help get my body back into gear. Well, to my surprise, I actually went to the gym and worked out for about 25 minutes. I read one of my library books while I took it easy on the elliptical.

Then I got ready for work and, by the time I got to work, I wasn't feeling very well at all. For some reason my hoarseness turned into a cough, and I spent much of the day coughing. It was extremely obnoxious. I ended up having to leave work at about 3:00 p.m. because I just couldn't seem to get it together. I kept feeling like I had a fever, but the thermometer said I didn't. I just keep breaking out into hot spells. Typically I'm not a thermometer person, but I've checked it a handful of times today. I actually hit 99 on the most recent one, which is high for me because I usually hang out in the 97s.

Anyway, I got a salad from Chipotle for lunch. It was sooo good! I remember we used to have Chipotle pretty frequently at my first job. I didn't have much of an appetite so I figured I'd grab something light. Good choice, me!

What else happened today? Umm, I dunno. Even though I feel down and out, I'm happy.

We don't have a show this week, so I was glad I didn't have to miss rehearsal tonight. Free night on Thursday, too. Cool!

The clock on the wall

I'm at home and in my own bed. Sometimes I forget how much I love my own bed until I go without it. I'm getting ready to try for an early night's sleep since it's back-to-work tomorrow. I'm not sure why I've been having sleeping problems lately. I feel like my mind has been going faster than usual; it's probably just trying to keep up with everything. Usually I'm a champion at sleeping, so I'm assuming the last week has been a fluke.

The beach is a great place for thinking. There were a lot of things on my mind, including what I want to do next. When I say "next," I'm not even really sure what I mean. I was just kinda thinking of what's up on the agenda, and I feel like I'm on the verge of some exciting things. I know I sound really vague and borderline nutty, but I just feel very appreciative of life right now.

When I got home tonight, I noticed that the main clock on the wall downstairs had stopped. It was simply ticking the same second over and over again, and it kinda reiterated all of the things I was thinking throughout the weekend. Time isn't standing still, but I often feel like I am.

Tomorrow I have rehearsal at 7:00 p.m. and will then come home and cry at the Bachelorette season finale. I'm in Thursday's show, so I'll be looking forward to that all week. It looks like a group has pre-purchased 70 tickets, so that should be a fun show. AWESOME!

Time for bed. I'm going to get up and exercise before work. I haven't exercised in an entire week. I can't tell you the last time I went so long between workouts. PUMP UP THE JAM!

Bump in the road

Today was a pretty good day, all things considered. I think I'm getting pretty desensitized to life's shenanigans.

I received an email at work from a colleague who was doing a fundraiser, so I went to double-check the balance in my online account before I made a donation. When I logged into my account, I noticed a lot of money was missing. It turns out some rotten fool has apparently stolen my card number and was spending my money in Conyers. I put an end to that nonsense ASAP, and hope that all of yesterday's charges (and today's declined ones, SUCKER) land that clown in jail. I truly have no sympathy for anyone who does anything like that. I almost feel like I shouldn't even be talking about it - like it's off-limits or something - but I do hope the investigation lands someone in a lot of trouble. One mo' thing to take care of. Less money, mo' problems.

I had sushi for lunch today, and it was OH. SO. GOOD.

My bloodwork was such a breeze today! It literally took all of ten minutes from sign-in to completion. I wrote my name down. I gave a urine sample. I got stuck with a needle. Lots of blood filled up lots of tubes. I got my jar to collect urine at home. I walked out. DONE! I'm not sure when I'll hear results, but I guess the endocrinologist should receive the results from the lab once they've done whatever they need to do.

What else? I came home and chilled out a little bit before rehearsal. I went to the gym and got in a solid workout. Even though I felt really lethargic, I forced myself to exercise and I'm glad I did; I felt much more energized afterwards. We had late rehearsal tonight, so I only got to watch about 25 minutes of the Bachelorette before I headed to the theatre.

I watched the rest when I got home, and tonight's episode was remarkably uneventful... probably because I was too busy judging Frank and comparing him to people I know in my day-to-day life. Anyway, she has two good guys left and I like them for different reasons. If I was looking for a husband, I'd totally go with Chris. Kinda dorky, I know. Judge your little heart out.

Tomorrow equals Tuesday.

HUSTLAH

I'm a hustlah, y'all.

So, this morning I forgot to mention that I got up before dawn and worked out. Yeah, you heard it here. I ran on the treadmill and then hopped on the elliptical. I think that should be my order from now on because running on the treadmill really gets me going and then I can coast on the elliptical. It seemed more worthwhile, and I'm gauging that completely on the fact that I started sweating sooner and maintained it throughout the entire workout. Hot, I know. That's what I do.

The meeting at the hospital was pretty cool. It was neat to learn some of the inner workings, but it was also nice to give an objective, firsthand opinion. I feel like this is going to be a great experience. We're already en route to implementing an idea that I suggested today.

My boss is on vacation starting tomorrow through July 26. This means I am the boss of all communications at work. I am making that sound much more important than it is.

I accomplished a first today(ish). In a 24-hour period, I had Starbucks three times. So, last night I only had a hot chocolate because I was drinking it so late and didn't want to be up all night. Today I went to Starbucks at lunch to clear my head (bad mood) and got my White Chocolate Mocha latte and some fruit. They stamped that come-back-after-whatever-time-and-get-a-$2-grande-iced-drink thing on my receipt, and I was sold. I ended up going there for a little while between work and rehearsal, and enjoyed an iced Mocha latte. In both Starbucks sessions, I worked on some creative endeavors, so that was fun!

Rehearsal tonight was fun. We talked about/worked on a game I've never played and rarely seen - Jam Session. It's a musical game and we all know that singing is my expertise. Right, farmer? JERK. After the casting was announced for this week's show (the private event), there was a slight change in plans because the show was supposed to be mainstage. I was already calculating how I would efficiently utilize my time on Thursday night, but found out tonight that I'm going to be in the show anyway. So, although the groceries will have to wait, it will be fun. My mom will officially miss her first show tomorrow, but I know she'll be there in spirit! She would be there if it was allowed.

I have some exciting book-related things to do before I go to sleep! I realize it's already after midnight, but this is the kind of energy I had after I took that writing course at Emory. I'm all riled up! It should be okay if I stay up kind of late because I'm telecommuting tomorrow, so I can knock off the two hours it takes me to get ready and sit in traffic.

Two cups o' coffee

Man. I just finished watching The Bachelorette. Bad move. I am kinda bummed right now because she sent a really good guy home. For everyone who is judging me for watching the show, I DON'T CARE! It is a fun guilty pleasure, so you can't blame me for wanting to have fun. Yeah, so maybe the concept seems dumb and maybe it makes me emotional. Oh well!

Today was a pretty good day, but it seemed so stinkin' long. I got up and worked out before I headed to work. It was a two-cups-of-coffee day for me...for no real reason other than wanting MORE. A few colleagues and I were walking down to get coffee and I was really giddy. We heard a little clink on the stairwell and my friend BC was like, "Wow. You know Drew needs to lay off the coffee when she's already losing an earring." I looked and was like, "My earring!" The only weird thing is that it wasn't one of the earrings I was wearing. It was definitely mine, though, from a pair I haven't worn in what seems like forever. WEIRD! We think it must have been attached to my sweater or something. I need to remember to take it out of my jeans pocket. Yep, I wore jeans to work.

What else? Rehearsal tonight was fun. We just kind of jammed different games we felt like playing. It was great to experiment with different things versus honing in on one game and getting all heady about it. I'll get to be in Thursday's show, too, which is a private event, so that should be fun. I don't think I've done a private event before - at least not one that is closed to the public. Fun times, but I wish I could invite people to my first post-vacation/stone performance. Perhaps next week!

I saw my FLPITW (favorite license plate in the world) today. It simply said "HUSTLAH." That's my new screen saver. I'm a hustler, baby... I just want you to know. It ain't where I been, but where I'm 'bout to go. I'm going to get that song stuck in my head every time I look at my phone now.

Let's all be considerate people, okay? Deal.

Oh me, oh my

There is no justifiable reason why I should be up this late on a Monday night. Like I mentioned, we had 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. rehearsal, and I felt surprisingly awake on the way home. So, I decided to go ahead and watch the Bachelorette from tonight. If this isn't pure entertainment, I don't know what is. We're about to start giving out some roses! She's already sent the psycho home, and now there's a clear underdog in my opinion. We'll see if I'm right... YES! Good girl.

Today was an interesting day back to work. I went to Starbucks on the way and got my Iced White Chocolate Mocha goodness. It was the perfect start to the day, especially because I didn't realize I'd be in four hours of meetings. Because of the meeting craziness, we got pizza delivered, which was a nice treat even though I'm not a pizza fanatic. Then my friend KQ and I went to Yoforia. I got pineapple yogurt with Sour Patch Kids, kiwi and strawberries. Mmm!

I went by the doctor's office to get blood drawn for the study. However, things didn't quite go as planned. After six sticks, there was literally no indication that my arm was willing to relinquish any blood. Sooo, we pretty much gave up and are trying for tomorrow. I wore a dress today and was really cold, which didn't help the cause. I'm gonna dress warmly tomorrow.

What else? I just feel like good things are on the way for me. It's funny that I felt the exact opposite at this time last week.

Oh, and today was not very good on the stomach/appetite front. I forgot to mention (I think) that my back started bothering me at one point during the beach trip. Saturday afternoon the pain was so bad that I was nauseous. Today was like that, too. It's really weird because no painkiller I took was helping the cause. I hope it's just a strain or something and will be headed out of the door ASAP. I emailed my doctor just to get an opinion. We'll see what she says.

Happy birthday to my mom!

The moment we've all been waiting for...

NOT.

Back to work tomorrow. Coming down from a vacation is so difficult. I do feel very refreshed, though, and could stand to get back into the swing of things again.

I had a good weekend. I got up early yesterday to enjoy some more time on the beach before heading back to Atlanta. I wandered around on the beach for a while and hopped in the car for a 9:30 a.m. departure. My mom and I rode back with my uncle and grandmother and had a pretty good drive. We had Krystal for lunch and made it back to Atlanta just after 4:00 p.m.

I started some laundry and went to the gym. I used my sportband for the first time ever and I liked it. There are a few things I need to investigate as far as running versus walking and if there's any way to make it register distance on an elliptical. It was fun to use, though! I ran into a neighbor at the gym and got invited to hang out at another neighbor's place last night. Then I went out for some drinks at this sneaky little bar underneath Taco Mac.

Today wasn't very productive. I did eat Mexican for dinner, though, so I consider the day a success. I've had a weird appetite lately. I guess you could say I've had a loss of appetite. Ever since the last day in the DR, I haven't quite been feeling right eating-wise. I'll feel really hungry, then feel a knot in my stomach when I start eating. Shortly after, though, my stomach will start growling again. It's a little weird. I also hit the nail on the head when I estimated that I gained five pounds on vacation.

I'm about to go to sleep. I'm going to go into work early tomorrow so that I can come home for a while before my 9:00 p.m. rehearsal. I am excited to see my friends! Send good thoughts my way so that I can survive tomorrow.

Just a small town girl

Hmm, it's late. Guess why I'm still up?! We had late rehearsal! I have only been home for a few minutes. I did take advantage of the late rehearsal start by napping during the time that I normally would have been at earlier rehearsal, so let's hope I can conk out tonight.

I worked from home today so I could get some handyman projects started during my roommate transition. Most of a ceiling fan is put up in the other bedroom, so that's nice. It is lightless and bladeless right now, but it's up and functioning.

What else? I am really trying to get in a good exercise routine for several reasons... 1) I feel better by all definitions when I'm exercising. 2) I've sounded kind of junky the last few days. 3) I am going on vacation in a few weeks and feel kinda blah. Today I exercised for 38 minutes, so that's a good start. I also lifted some weights. I don't know that I did enough to be sore tomorrow or anything, but, again, it's a good start. I'm going to be in gung-ho mode these next several weeks. I'm already trying to plan when I might exercise tomorrow... before or after work? Hmm.

I think tomorrow I'll pull the early-to-work move so that I'll have the whole night ahead of me. My sleeping patterns have been kind of unusual, so I should probably get home, exercise, and have a restful evening. I am blabbering for no good reason.

Oooh! I think I am starting on the study drug/placebo on Thursday. I think for my ego's sake, I'll begin referring to it as 'the vanilla.' All I know is that it's vanilla-flavored regardless and it will save face for me in the chance that I receive the placebo. Ugh, it sickens me to even type that. Positive thoughts. Positive thoughts. Give me the REAL vanilla! Now that defeats the purpose of calling it by a nickname... Vanilla. Period.

Time for bed. I don't have much to say today.

Un un un un undo it

Hi!!!!!!!!! I am CRAZY!

Let me tell you why I'm worn down... Literally since last Wednesday I haven't had ANY TIME TO CHILL! Show last Thursday, work Friday day and night, work Saturday day, show Saturday night, work Sunday day and night, work Monday from 5:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m., work Tuesday day, benefit show Tuesday night, work Wednesday, retirement party late afternoon, rehearsal Wednesday night, work Thursday day, show Thursday night. I am exhausted from simply typing that.

I pretty much had a breakdown at work due to sleep and hunger deprivation. I am feeling better right now. I am about to work for a bit (yes, it's midnight) with aspirations of not working AT ALL tomorrow. I planned all week to take some comp time on Friday and then today was one of those putting-out-fires-left-and-right kinda days, making it next to impossible to get that break on which I hung my hopes. DRAMATIC!

Tonight's show was fun. It was my first five-person show. I was in Conducted Orchestra, Buzzer, Meet the Experts (Magic - Barbara Buchanan), Foreign-Dubbed Soap Opera (on stage), Remote Control Styles, and Musical Styles (Country Ballad, 90s Boy Band, R&B, Opera, Rap). Tonight was a lot of fun and the crowd was great, too! I think being very sleepy (yet energized) helps with improv because it makes it next to impossible to overthink anything. Barbara was so absurd tonight. I need to come up with a new character.

GUESS WHAT!!!!!! Drew's Crew is my favorite. Online we are sitting at $18,596. However, I recently got a $50 donation that isn't in the total yet, AND one of my friends had a charity trivia night tonight and raised $340! Add that all together and I think we're sitting pretty at $18,986. Can you even believe it? I said CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! I will raise that $1,014 by the walk time and nobody will stop me. I'm not sure how I plan to do it, but it will be done.

I had an exciting morning! I turned in some money at the CF Foundation. While I was there I finagled my way into a coffee run in exchange for a donation. It was a great deal! Everyone was a winner! Then, when I got to work, I was blown away by a BIG OL' $500 DONATION. Holy heavens! The world is great!

What else? I wish I had a dog. When I see little dogs on the street and dangling their heads out of cars, I want one so badly.

Umm, tomorrow is going to be a great day of relaxation and donation.

I keep getting into a good workout routine and then dropping it like a bad habit. Tomorrow I think I will do some evaluating of a way to make my life a bit more balanced in general. I need my friend back from Israel so we can have a LIFE session. Perhaps I will have to do it as an individual.

Night, y'all.

Let me tell you a story called...

"Where has all the time gone?"

That's the only reference I'm going to make to being short on time in this post.

Yesterday was a day full of wondrous Emory-related events. I worked at a classical concert and at the Corpus Cordis Aureum reception, which is the group of Emory alumni that graduated at least 50 years ago. It was interesting noting the differences between the new graduates and the CCA graduates. The new graduates refused to wait in short lines at the block party, while the CCA folks waited several times as long and never even made a remark about it. While this isn't a direct reference to the thing I said I wasn't going to reference earlier, it's neat how waiting seems irrelevant when you're 80 years old. I could stand to exemplify some of that patience more in my day-to-day life. There's no need to be in such a stinkin' hurry all the time.

This morning I got up a few minutes before 4:00 a.m. to get ready for commencement. Thankfully, although it was cold outside, the weather cooperated and the rain held off until later in the day. Arnold Schwarzenegger delivered the commencement address and, I've got to admit, he was pretty funny. Inspiring? Umm, not so much. Entertaining? Yes! He literally went through all of the lines folks would want him to say, including "Hasta la vista, baby," "It's not a tumor," "I'll be back," etc. He was good-humored about the whole thing. Although he attempted, there wasn't a very moving message, but it was enjoyable to watch, so I didn't mind.

I got home a little before lunchtime. Since it's my wonderful sister's birthday, I treated her to lunch at our favorite, El Toro. I ate quickly and came home and worked for a while until I just couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. I knocked a few more things out and then headed downtown to rehearsal. Traffic was an absolute nightmare, but I was surprised to arrive only six minutes late. We worked on Oscars, which was fun.

My SC joint is literally killing me. I think I need to call el doctor tomorrow. I sound like such a hypochondriac in these posts sometimes.

Tomorrow is the big day! I have study-related appointments at 7:50 and 8:30 a.m., so it's gonna be another lengthy day. Then, off to work to knock things out until it's time to get ready for the show. Tickets have been pouring in left and right, so I am getting very excited. I think my doctor is going to be there as well, so that's awesome news! Although a few donations haven't posted online yet, Drew's Crew exceeded $16K today. I AM READY TO PUMP YOU UP!

Got a pebble

Hi. It is past my bedtime. Nobody can stop me.

I got up this morning and wrote a dream down in my dream journal. It was a really creepy, horroresque type dream. There wasn't a serial killer on the loose or anything, but people were all on the ground on their backs meditating like it was a cult or something. It was just all really strange, like these people were half-zombie or something. Ironically, it looked strikingly like improv warm-up, but there were hundreds of people and they all seemed possessed. Hmm! I didn't look in the dictionary today, but I'll check it out tomorrow. ODD!

I sold some tickets to the improv benefit show today. I could start to freak out soon, but I don't think it would be productive. Rather, I should use that time to market the event. So, instead of freaking out right now, here goes: http://www.cff.org/great_strides/laughtilyoucough. Drew's Crew is sitting at $13,895.83 right now. I know we'll hit $14K tomorrow, especially when you get your ticket to the show. :-)

Today I went into work early as planned. By the way, it was raining harder this morning in Atlanta than I remember in a long time - probably even harder than the flood last year. I went to Artuzzi's for lunch with a colleague and had the chopped chicken gorgonzola salad. Man, that's one of the best salads ever, and this is from a person who does not usually like salad. I got to leave right at 4:30 p.m. and headed home.

When I got home, I went to the gym and exercised. I ran a bit on the treadmill, but my stinkin' SC joint was bothering me. It's been flaring up a bit lately, and I'm not sure what to do about it. Anyway, I ended up getting off of the treadmill and onto the elliptical since I can keep my arms still or move them in a very controlled way. It was a pretty good workout. I meant to lift some weights when I got back to my place, but I apparently got sidetracked. Perhaps tomorrow!

Rehearsal was late tonight - from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. It was pretty fun, though. It was nice getting to come home before rehearsal for the first time in forever. I'm glad I planned it that way because I had plenty of time to remove myself from the working mindset. We mainly played Blind Scene, which was fun because it's much easier to truly improvise when you have no idea what's going on in the scene. To everyone except my improv friends or super-fans (Mom!), that probably meant nothing. Anyway, I enjoyed tonight.

Tomorrow I'm going to do the early-to-work thing again. I got a shower right before rehearsal knowing that I'd be up late tonight. Why am I still up?! Oh me, oh my. I look forward to going in early, getting out early, and having tomorrow evening/night all to myself. That's TIME!

Big wheels keep on turnin'

Well, I still want to blabber about what I mentioned earlier - TIME.

I am kind of stressed out lately. Actually, saying 'kind of' is an understatement. I am extremely stressed out. I was thinking through the upcoming weekends today and realized that I don't have a free weekend until at least the end of June, but more likely July. That's a long time. This weekend is Emory's commencement, next weekend is the walk/a concert, the next weekend is a wedding/a concert, and the list goes on and on... I'm just really trying to think of when I might catch a break.

Now, don't get me wrong - I am enjoying myself - but I am just feeling so burnt out. It's difficult for me to keep up with this busy pace and maintain my health at the same time. I should gain back some time when the upcoming improv benefit for the CF Foundation and the walk pass, but I'm still going to be pretty busy.

My plan for tomorrow is to get to work by 7:00 or 7:30 a.m., then possibly arrive home by 5:00 p.m. or maybe a little later. We have late rehearsal tomorrow night, so I'd like to get to come home and relax for a bit, even though it will involve a lot of driving. Then I'll head to rehearsal at 9:00 p.m. and get home just before 11:30 p.m. What a day!

I am really just using this to think through the day, so pardon the boredom of it.

Go girl, it's your birthday

Well, what to say, what to say. I'm torn between what to say because I don't want to make it sound like my day was absolutely miserable. Buuuuuuut, I didn't have a very good day. I had a difficult time sleeping last night because my mind was going a million miles per hour. It's been a while since I've had a night like that, but it happened last night.

Since it was difficult for me to sleep, it was also tough to get up this morning, but I was set on getting to the gym. I ended up resetting my alarm a few times, and got up and did a quick 22-minute workout. I did about 4 1/2 minutes on the treadmill, but was having a hard time, so I got on the elliptical for 7 1/2. Then, I ran on the treadmill for 10 minutes to seal the deal. I'm not exactly sure why it was so difficult compared to last week, but maybe because I wasn't feeling well...

I went to Starbucks on the way to work and got an iced mocha latte. Then, when I got to work, one of my wonderful coworkers surprised me with a McDonald's Mocha Frappe or what not. So, by 11:00 a.m., I'd completed both of those drinks and was pretty rowdy and feeling decent, although coughy. Haha. Coffee. HAAAA! I didn't even mean to do that, but anyway...

My coworker and I went to my FAVORITE Mexican restuurant (Monterrey) for lunch, where I had two grilled steak quesadillas. It was so delicious, and she surprised me by treating me! It was so sweet. One of my coworkers had also brought cupcakes, so I was excited about that and brought some of them home.

After lunch I was just having a really hard time. I wasn't feeling very well and it was really bringing me down; I've had a lot weighing on my mind. I ended up having to duck out of work early because I was feeling pretty bad. I came home and things didn't improve much. Then, I headed to rehearsal still in a bit of a funk, but everyone was really sweet and tried to help me out of it.

I got a few really thoughtful gifts that I'm excited about and, even though I probably didn't show it tonight, I am so thankful to have my theatre friends.

So many people wished me a happy birthday and, although Drew's Crew didn't rake it in like I hoped we might, there's still time left. Even though I seemed like a hot mess for the majority of the day, I am so lucky to know so many great people. Now if only the Braves can pull out a win tonight; it's tied right now...

Well, I'm hoping for a great day tomorrow - for everyone. I'm sending positive thoughts all kinds of directions.

Givin' Lip

I'll go ahead and say that the title of this post has nothing to do with actually giving lip... I am wearing a shirt that someone gave me because it was too small, and it is a white tank top with the words "Givin' Lip" in pink writing. I actually kind of love it because it's worthless.

Well, I just got home from rehearsal. I guess you can't really call it rehearsal because we actually went hanging up posters around Midtown - at least that's the group my area tackled. [Side bar: I just noticed after posting that I said "group my area tackled" instead of "area my group tackled." I have been doing backwards things like this for a few days, so I'm leaving it as-is for a trip down memory lane.] It was a fun change of pace, but we walked around a lot and I'm feeling kinda worn out. I guess that's good since I should be heading to sleep soon!

Umm, Drew's Crew is at $9,602!!!!! I really, really hope to hit $10,000 by the week's end. Did I say that yesterday? Or say it in my mind? Either way, it's still the truth! I think I did say it. (Can you tell I'm delirious?)

What elsssssssse? I went to the fitness center for a little chunk during lunchtime today. I got in a pretty good workout. I ran for a little on the treadmill, then hopped on the elliptical, then did some sprints on the treadmill, and topped it off with walking at an incline. I didn't feel like I could exert myself in the way that I do when I'm feeling my best, but I was able to do moderately intense things for a decent length of time, so that was good!

I am kinda at a loss of things to say, which is surprising.

I better take advantage of this 'being tired' thing while it's still accurate.

Oh, my boss is going to have a baby any day now. I don't know why it is nerveracking for me! I'm not the one giving birth, but I am just anxiously waiting...in a neutral way. The actual due date is April 22, so I am trying to be prepared, but I don't think I will be. I will miss her while she's on maternity leave.

Okay. Done.