After getting only a few hours of sleep last night (due to the stinking time change), I got up in the dark this morning and got ready for worship team practice at 8 am (formerly 7 am - did I mention I hate the time change?). I was SO tired, and I wasn’t the only one. We had a rough practice, but we managed to make it through both services — and God even showed up in spite of our tired flesh.

After singing in both services, I gulped down lunch and rushed to the McKinney Performing Arts Center to get ready for my final “Plaza Suite” performance at 2 pm. The Sunday matinee shows always feel a little strange to me. It’s odd performing in the middle of the afternoon. The crowds tend to be smaller and quieter. However, today’s group was pretty responsive, giving us a great ending to our two-weekend run with the McKinney Repertory Theatre.

It’s always bittersweet to end a production. I’ll miss the new friends I made, and I’ll miss the fun of performing. At the same time, it will be nice to have my time back — no more rehearsals, no more running lines. It will be great to relax for a bit. Of course, the break will be short-lived; rehearsals for our next show at ALC (Abundant Life Church) start in April. Oh well, I’ll enjoy it while it lasts!

Have a great week everyone, and when you get up tomorrow, remember my proposal about moving the clock forward 30 minutes and keeping it there. It would get rid of the DST torture forever!

The implosion is sponsored by Kraft Macaroni & Cheese as part of its “Cheddar Explosion” marketing campaign (exploiting an implosion to help sell more macaroni…interesting). An 11-year old boy gets the distinct honor of triggering the implosion. He was awarded this honor by writing the winning essay in a contest sponsored by the company.

If you want to see him pull the trigger and watch this historic moment, you can. The implosion will take place at dawn on April 11. Officials recommend that you arrive early to reserve your space in the stadium’s red lot — the only public area from which you can view the implosion. The lot is estimated to hold about 5,000 cars, and it’s first come, first served. Tickets cost $25 (earplugs not included), and all proceeds will go to local charities.

Goodbye Texas Stadium…and thanks for all of the great memories!

Thanks to Howcast.com, you now have access to the secret method of how to flawlessly fold a t-shirt in two seconds flat. Just think about all the time you will save after doing laundry or when packing for your next trip. What used to take roughly 4-6 seconds can now be done in only two by simply following the easy instructions in the video below — whew, what a relief! It’s fabulous, darling.

And yes, you can thank me later.

I have nothing against people who have children. Almost everyone I know has them. In fact, I enjoy being with my nephews and niece immensely. Kids can be lots of fun, and from what people tell me, having children can be very rewarding. But, that’s just one perspective. For those who can’t seem to wrap their heads around why someone wouldn’t want to have children, maybe a post from the famous Ann Landers will shed some insight. I saw this the other day and just had to share it. I think it’s hilarious. Hopefully, you’ll see the humor too. Enjoy!

“There is nothing sadder than a childless couple. It breaks my heart to see them relaxing around swimming pools in Florida, sitting all suntanned and miserable on the decks of their boats — trotting off to Europe like lonesome fools. It’s an empty life. Nothing but money to spend, more time to enjoy and a whole lot less to worry about.

The poor childless couple are so wrapped up in themselves, you have to feel sorry for them. They don’t fight over the child’s discipline, don’t blame each other for the child’s most obnoxious characteristics, and they miss all the fun of doing without for the child’s sake. They just go along, doing whatever they want, buying what they want and liking each other. It’s a pretty pathetic picture.

Everyone should have children. No one should be allowed to escape the wonderful experience that accompanies each stage in the development of the young — the happy memories of sleepless nights, coughing spells, tantrums, diaper rash, debts, “dipso” baby sitters, saturated mattresses, emergencies and never-ending crises.

How dismal is the peaceful home without the constant childish problems that make a well-rounded life and an early breakdown; the tender, thoughtful discussions when the report card reveals the progeny to be one step below a moron; the end-of-the-day reunions with all the joyful happenings recited like well-placed blows to the temples.

Children are worth it. Every moment of anxiety, every sacrifice, every complete collapse pays off as a fine, sturdy adolescent is reached. The feeling of reward the first time you took the boy hunting — he didn’t mean to shoot you, the lad was excited. Remember how he cried? How sorry he was? And how much better you felt after the blood transfusion? These are the times a man with a growing son treasures — memories that are captured forever in the heart and the limp.

Think back to the night of romantic adventure when your budding daughter eloped with the village idiot. What childless couple ever shared in the stark realism of that drama? Aren’t you a better man for having lived richly, fully, acquiring that tic in your left eye? Could a woman without children touch the strength and heroism of your wife as she tried to fling herself out of the bedroom window?

The childless couple live in a vacuum. They fill their lonely days with golf, vacation trips, dinner dates, civic affairs, tranquility, leisure and entertainment. There is a terrifying emptiness without children, but the childless couple are too comfortable to know it.

You just have to look at them to see what the years have done: He looks boyish, unlined and rested; she’s slim, well-groomed and youthful. It isn’t natural. If they had had kids, they’d look like the rest of us — worn out, wrinkled and exhausted.”

When Friday came, I was still running a low grade fever, but I had the day off from work so I got lots of rest and went through my lines in preparation for the evening performance.  I was a little nervous about the show since I hadn’t had as much practice this week as I’d hoped.  Being sick during tech week is not cool!

I arrived a little early on Friday night to run through a scene in Act III that we’d been unable to do in costume since I wasn’t at the 1st dress rehearsal and was sick at the 2nd dress rehearsal.  We quickly did the run through, and then it was time to get ready for the show.  Fifteen minutes later, they opened the house doors and let the audience inside.  Soon, we’d be on stage — an exhilarating and scary thought.  I’ve never had the distinct priviledge of acting when I was sick.  It was going to be an interesting night.

When the time came for me to step onto the stage, I put aside my sickness and transformed into my happy “peppy” character again.  My nerves calmed, and it flowed just like it had countless times before in rehearsal.  Thank God!  Except for an interesting snafu with the lights — where we had an unexpected blackout during our scene — everything went great on opening night in spite of my sickness!

Thankfully, I’m feeling better today.  My fever is gone, so I think I’ve almost won the battle!  We perform again tonight, so I’m resting just to make sure I can fully kick this sickness to the curb.  And I’m looking forward to next weekend where I should be able to perform back at full health — and have a little fun doing it!

If you haven’t bought tickets and want to see the show tonight or next weekend, it’s Plaza Suite at McKinney Repertory Theatre.  Check it out.

Last night we worked on stage set-up before rehearsing our acts. Here are the hotel windows going into place.

Loading in the furniture.  It’s starting to come together!!

Taking a short break

One of our cast members rescued a stray dog last night.  He brought him into the theatre to get him out of the rain.  He was so cute and sweet.  We affectionately named him “Simon” in honor of our playwright.

Jesse, the “famous Hollywood producer staying in the Plaza hotel and signing up Francis Ford Coppola for his next picture.”

Cycling for a Cure is a 12-hour indoor cycling marathon. Riders can cycle for the entire 12 hours on their own bike or participate as a relay team switching out in 1-2 hour increments. I participated with colleagues from my company, and we rode as a relay team. Since I had drama rehearsal from 1-6 today, I was only able to participate for an hour, but I had a blast!

They squeezed about 50 bikes into the spinning room at LifeTime Fitness in Allen and created a really cool environment for the riders. If you’ve been to a spinning class, it’ll sound familiar. The room was dim, lively music was playing, and cycling videos were displayed on large screens at the front of the room. A spinning instructor (and event creator) kept everyone entertained and led us through some of the spinning exercises to keep the energy level high and give everyone a great workout. Volunteers walked around with water, towels, fruit, and various snacks for the riders. We never had to leave our bikes; they had everything we needed. It was really neat.

Before and after riding, you could hang out in the rider’s room where they had lots of food and amenities for the riders. You could even get free chair massages, which is a nice treat after riding for a long time on the bike. Prize drawings took place throughout the day, but the real winners were the people who unselfishly raised lots of money to help find a cure.

Even though I could only participate for a short amount of time, I thoroughly enjoyed the event, and I plan to participate again next year — hopefully for a longer time!

For more info about JDRF, check out: www.jdrf.org. Together, we can help find a cure.

So, in honor of my anti-Olympic spirit, instead of bringing you a glowing rendition of the games and highlighting how incredible these amazing athletes are, I’m bringing you bloopers. Why? Because in my current mood, it’s much more entertaining.

Maybe I’ll get my Olympic mojo back before the games end this year. Maybe I’ll just have to wait for 2014. Until then, enjoy the videos.

Olympic Bloopers

Yes, those lovely white flakes called snow finally fell from the Dallas sky. Facebook lit up instantly with status updates, along with pictures of the scenery and kids playing. Schools were shut down. Snow men (and women) were built. Snow angels were created. Snow ball fights ensued. Yes, it was a fantastic gift — much preferred over the normal winter blast of ice and sleet. I loved it. Even though I didn’t get a “snow day” (the unfortunate consequence of being able to work from home), it was grand.

That was then.

This is now.

Okay, I don’t want to be labeled the “snow” grinch, but…enough already…seriously! I live in North Texas for a reason. I like warm winters. Snow once during the season is cool, but again and again and again….and again. That’s not cool. So far, we’ve recorded 15.7 inches of snowfall this winter. The second highest recorded in the history of North Texas. We’re only 2 inches away from breaking the all time record snowfall for a winter season — and that may happen tomorrow!

Breaking records is cool, but I’m sick of the cold. I’m SO ready for Spring…actually, I’m ready for Summer, but I’ll settle for Spring. After all, March is next week. It’s not supposed to be this cold, and we don’t need more snow…so much for global warming.

Okay, maybe I am the snow grinch…bah humbug!

The Phantom of the Opera is the winner of seven 1988 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and has been seen by over 80 million people in 124 cities in 25 countries. On January 9, 2006, it became the longest-running show in Broadway history surpassing Cats’ record-holding run of 7,485 performances. Since then, the Broadway and US national touring companies have played more than 20,000 performances in the US! In 2008, the show celebrated an unprecedented milestone when it reached its twentieth anniversary on Broadway. And if all of that wasn’t impressive enough, the Phantom has grossed more than any film or stage play in history, surpassing Hollywood blockbusters like Titanic, ET, and Star Wars. Wow!

This year, Dallas Summer Musicals is celebrating 70 years of Broadway, and The Phantom of the Opera is kicking off their new season. Gary and I have season tickets, so we were really excited about the opportunity to see the show again. We trekked downtown tonight to enjoy it one more time before the tour ends. Once again, it blew me away. I absolutely LOVE this show. Andrew Lloyd Webber is a genius.

You can’t take pictures during the show, but here are a few images I captured with my iPhone before the opening and during intermission. Enjoy!

Opening stage set for the auction. The chandelier is covered in the middle of the stage.

Our souvenir tickets and the playbill

Inside the Music Hall at Fair Park before the show

Resetting the chandelier during intermission

The ornate facade of the majestic “Paris Opera House”