BOY TRAPPED

Where the inside of my mind leaks onto the screen.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Thank You Mr. President

Regardless of your political views and position on the economic stimulus plan, I think everyone can find something positive about a little extra money in their paychecks. As the bookkeeper for my dad's business, I've been carefully checking over the paychecks, waiting to see a difference as a result of the plan. Well, it came. The tax tables were updated on 3/12, so I think that any paychecks after that date should have been affected.

I honestly haven't done a lot of research into this, but I had thought that there would be an extra $13 per paycheck. Either I misunderstood, or there was a change (if anybody knows the details, please post because I'm interested) because I was quite surprised to find our 3 salaried employees' paychecks were each $30 fatter. If that keeps up, that's $60 a month, and I know my budget would appreciate some $6o wiggle room.

Anyway, if you were excited to see your (or your hubby's) paycheck be a little bigger, or if you have the scoop on how this all works and for how long, let me know. I'm just intrigued by the whole thing.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Seussical Teaser

Thanks to those of you who've already bought your tickets. I'm SO excited to have so many friends and family in the audience. If you need a little extra incentive though, here's some teaser pics. Oh, and get your tix at http://www.draperartscouncil.org/tickets.php.

Notice Me Horton!
My tail... it is seriously 30 feet long.
Hopefully I'll impress Horton...
The One Feather Tale of Miss Gertrude McFuzz

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Four Wheel Drive

Last night while we were driving home from Seussical rehearsal in the snow storm, I commented to my sister Michelle that perhaps I should pull over and turn on the 4 wheel drive. I decided the car was handling fairly well, though, so I wouldn't bother. About 5 minutes later, I lost control of the Jeep as it started fishtailing its way from the far left lane of the freeway to the far right. Knowing that the Jeep handles terribly in the snow, I decided my best option was to allow the car to continue on its current set path, rather than to try to brake and send it off on some unpredictable trajectory. I figured this way, the cars around us would have more time to make the decisions they needed to make.

With this decision made, I looked ahead to where I figured we would end up and noticed that we might come quite close to the poles of an exit sign. I calmly turned to Michelle and said, "Just so you know, I've lost control of the car, and there's a good chance we're going to hit that pole right there." She looked over, took her own assessment, and replied, "Nah. The brush is going to slow us down. We won't hit it."

Thankfully, she was right. The brush and thicker snow on the side of the road slowed us to a gentle stop about 5 feet before we would have hit the pole. Neither of us were particularly panicked or scared, and Michelle said, "Well, now you can put the car in 4 wheel drive." I did, and we drove the rest of our uneventful drive home.

The weirdest part, though, was that I had time for all of that while sliding off the road. I mean, I guess we did cross 4 or so lanes of traffic, but still, I would have expected the process to happen much faster. I'm glad my kids weren't with me, because I'm sure that would have made me feel much more panicky, and I'm glad Michelle was with me, because she handled it all so well. Still, it was an experience I'd rather not repeat.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

So Much for Not Climbing

Janene, I feel like our boys are having some weird sort of a contest to see whose Mom will post the most pics of them sleeping in weird places (under the bed, in the closet, etc). So I've got to go to bat for Alex here, who found a whole new place yesterday.


Keep in mind that this was about 2 hours after I rearranged his whole room hoping that it would get him to stop climbing his dresser to get to the light switch. I guess now he just climbs his dresser to find a soft place to sleep.

Monday, March 2, 2009

Seussical the Musical

Top 10 Reasons to Come See Me in Seussical the Musical:

10. It is a great family show full of storylines you and your kids will recognize.
9. The costumes, set, and props are huge and colorful. The show is pure entertainment.
8. The music offers something for everyone with styles a la 90's boy band, Urethra Franklin, the Beach Boys, and even a little country.
7. I have kids and only get to do a show every couple years. Don't miss the chance to come see me. :) (Wow, that sounded conceited)
6. Tickets are only $8. That's pretty cheap for theater.
5. My castmates are amazing. You wont want to miss Gordon as Horton, Stephanie as Mayzie, or Jayden as JoJo, just to name a few.
4. My awesome sister Michelle is in the show with me. Seriously, you could just come to watch Michelle.
3. I get to wear a 30 foot long tail for a portion of the show. 30 FEET! You've got to see it to believe it.
2. I hit a high D at the end of one song. (Yeah, you remembered right; I am an alto.)
1. Performing is so much more fun when you know the audience. Come be my audience!

The show runs March 12, 13, 14, and 16.

Tickets are on sale now online. You can even choose your reserved seats:

http://draperartscouncil.org/tickets.php