So, apparently the issue is that since we are all "at will" employees, we can technically be fired at any time without cause and without notice. Not that this is going to happen, since my skills are rather specialized and they'd be hard-pressed to replace me, unless I start running around naked or smoking crack at my desk. But they still are sticking to "sorry, company policy" and refuse to say that RIGHT NOW AT THIS VERY SECOND there are no immediate plans to fire me. That's all they have to say, really, and they won't freaking say it. And China tends to be a bit picky about this stuff, they want these letters to be worded exactly how they request them to be and will reject things for what we would consider really minor reasons (like if your notary's commision expires in less than six months, or your police clearance isn't on state letterhead). Fortunately my supervisor is willing to go to bat on this one and is going over there on Monday (HR is in a different building, fortunately, or they would have had a ticked-off visitor this afternoon) to "throw a screaming meanie" if they don't come around. Failing that, she's going to fake me a letter herself as long as I swear to never ever reveal that she did so. At least my boss is cool, even if my company sucks.

Well, I'm back from my last-minute travels that led me to my lipsticked dress emergency last week. My drycleaner saved the dress, I got to dress up and look all pretty (I haven't done that since my wedding 3 and a half years ago), and my sister won the title of National Cherry Queen. Yay for her! Now she gets to spend the next year travelling to various festivals and conventions to speak about the health benefits of cherries. Mmm...cherries. Plus she gets VIP Rose Bowl seats, so as long as my Michigan makes it this year I will be very happy to have her as my sister.

Wedding-related question: A good friend of mine is getting married at his parent's cottage on the lake, just outside of Traverse City, in fact. They are having the "celebration" starting at 3, then dinner, then the ceremony, at sunset, lakeside. The wedding is in late August. What would be appropriate attire for a guy to wear at such a wedding? I have no clue on style issues, and this is such a different kind of wedding (but totally fitting the bride and groom) that I don't think it's covered in most guide books. Everything will be outside.

Oooh, fun question, Bart Ender! Since it's all outdoors and sounds more fun than most, I think you could get away with nearly anything. I think in this case, a nice pair of khaki dress pants, a nice oxford button down (blue?), a summery tie (yellow?), and a blazer would be fabulous. And if you're daring, there's always seersucker.

I was just about to suggest the exact same outfit as hendersonrocks. If you think that it'll be a no necktie kind of wedding, just ask somebody. I'm sure they'll have suggestions. What a cool, fun wedding that sounds like!

Sunset, Lakeside, Traverse City MI? Probably on the hot side of warmish during the day, rather a sharp drop in temp at sunset. Hmm. Yeah, what hendersonrocks said. If you can carry it off, the yachting jacket/white flannels/ascot look is spiffy and on the dressy side of casual, too. Leave off the cap, though--no one can wear one of those and look good.

Yay! for europa drycleaner and sister.

Yay! for JenX's boss.

I'm so sorry to hear about Smokey, M.Darcy. My condolences.

and Good Luck! to Hildy on making it through the first week of family.

If you are very confident about this sort of thing, you could try a hat, too.

(And all the stuff Rabrab said.)

Cool, europa, yay for your sister. How nifty. And mmmm, cherries. My sister, who lives up in TC with her family, brought cherries down to us when she came to visit this week. Yum.

JenEx, your boss rocks. At least one person understands that sometimes it's OK to break the rules. Hopefully it won't even come down to that, as HR will come to it's senses when bosslady gives them a good talking to. Either way, it's great that she will go to bat for you.

Sometimes corporations forget that when they make policies, there are people involved. I'm glad your boss is willing to help you, JenEx -- a boss who will support an employee that way is worth their weight in gold!

To change the subject entirely, can I please curse out morning people? Papa Tiger is one, but he knows better than to bother me on Saturday morning. So this morning at 7:30 the phone rings, and looking over and seeing he's up, I wait for him to answer it. But after three rings I get it, because nobody calls at 7:30 on Saturday unless it's an emergency, right? Wrong. It's my idiot new coworker (actually, he's a very nice guy, but he just put himself on my shit list for at least a week with this) calling to talk to Papa Tiger about helping him fix his computer. He didn't know what time it is because his power went out. To which I say: Get a damn watch! Good grief! So now I need to think of something suitably evil to do to him Monday when I get to work. In addition to, as he told Papa Tiger, the fact that I'll "beat him up."

europa! Welcome back and congrats to your sister. Good for her! We waived to her at the Parade on Saturday. That turned out to be our only festival event, other than the Blue Angels the weekend before. As always, glad it's over. The weather has been so strange around here though, it's the middle of July and we haven't been to the beach once! (And we have four lakes within a 15 minute drive) I don't like to go, though, unless it's hot enough to make me want to go in the water.

Oh, and, "Go Wolverines!"

ETA:

Exactly, Rabrab. It could be 80-85 at 3:00, but drop to maybe 55-60 by the time it's all over, so I believe dressing in layers is the key. The setting sounds lovely.

Oh, come on, we're not all as stupid and inconsiderate as your co-worker.


I get up between 5:30 and 6. A client once called me at 6:30, and I dropped her on the spot. Anyone who calls before 8 a.m. or after 10 p.m. is getting the treatment, because that's just rude. Plus, I have an 84-year-old father who was hospitalized 6 times last year, so if the phone rings at a "bad" time, I panic thinking he's died or in the ER or something. I myself will not call anyone except The Zzard before 9 a.m. I did once awaken a friend at 9:30 on a Tuesday. She was self-employed, and I assumed she'd be up by then. But she wasn't pissed because she figured it was a reasonable assumptin. After that, I never called her before 10. People need to use their brains.


This person is an idiot and will be hell to work with.


Oh, call him at midnight tonight and even things out before the work week starts.

Magoozen, that's mostly what I remember from living up there--Mr Rabrab and I were in Alpena for just about a year and summertime was all layers all the time. I swear, the temperature could drop 15 degrees when the sun went behind a cloud. Pretty, though.



Or you could just smile ever-so-sweetly at him every time you see him and chuckle evilly but noticeably to yourself. He knows you're not happy -- make him sweat.

My father-in-law has finally (mostly) stopped calling us at 7:30 a.m. on Saturdays. We are never awake then (except when he calls). We don't have children, so if we're up early on a Saturday it's because we have somewhere to go. One time, he called at 7:15 because they were at a garage sale, and he wanted to know if my husband was interested in a gun someone was selling. I was not happy. (At least he didn't buy the gun -- it was way overpriced at $200.) Of course I jumped out of bed to answer the phone because when someone calls that early it means (or is supposed to mean) that someone is either sick or dead. Unless it's my editor and I left something undone. I don't like those calls, but at least they're reasonable.

BoDiva, that raises a couple of intriguing questions for me. 1, how does an ear training class give rise to a Bach barrier specifically? Did they make you read a lot of Bach and scare you that way, or was there choral sight-reading of Bach chorales, or what? 2, I remember your telling me at a PhillyCon that you were a lirico spinto soprano; what Bach do you sing? B minor mass? Passion? Cantatas?

Oh -- and I'm so envious that you've just been to Seattle. Love that city. I usually manage to go every 2 years, but it'll have been over 3 when I go for a musicology conference this fall. And I plan to go back in 2005 for the repeat of the Ring cycle, which I caught and loved first time around in 2001. Flying water nymphs! Real fire! What could be better? I hope my favorite B&B is still standing when I return.

Oh -- and you quoted The Slipper and the Rose! Love love love that flick.

Now that I've had a nice nap, I'll come to my coworker's defense: He's a really nice guy and a great person to work with, always helpful and cheerful and lots of fun to joke around with. He's just a bit flaky at times. And normally Papa Tiger would have grabbed the phone before I ever heard it, since I have it turned off in the bedroom on Saturday mornings; but he was in the bathroom brushing his teeth, so it had time to ring enough to wake me up. And for all I know, Papa Tiger was the one who told him to feel free to call any time since he figured he'd get it. But never fear, he knows he's in the doghouse, too! I think flaky coworker will owe me not the one nice lunch I've already earned for helping him out when he was swamped, but at least one more now! Hey, I'm easy. I'm usually bought off without a lot of difficulties for free food. :-)

Speaking of Seattle, my mom and sister both live in the Seattle area (mom in Issaquah, sister in Redmond), and I torture myself at work by listening to streaming classical music from KING radio. I sit in the New Orleans swamps listening to the Seattle weather forecast. Which is why my boss sometimes finds me crying at my desk. (Not really, but it wouldn't surprise me!) I would love to move back to the Northwest. I haven't lived there since I was 12 years old, but it's still my favorite part of the world.

And last but not least, speaking of bosses, I knew I liked my new boss at this job I've only been at since the beginning of May, but I got my 90-day evaluation from him yesterday and he basically rated me tops in everything. Which tells me that apparently he likes me, too, which is a good thing! Litigators can be a problem to get along with, but he's a real pussycat (as long as I realize that he's cursing at opposing counsel, not me). It's nice to have a job that I actually don't hate to have to get up and go to every day, like my last one. Anyone want to trade crazy lawyer horror stories?

Have fun at the wedding, BartEnder. I'm just jealous that you get to spend time at Traverse City. I haven't been there in years.



Now, Magoozen, surely you mean "Go Spartans!" I would say "Go Chippewas" but only those of us who went to Central Michigan would appreciate it. My brother went to MSU, so I have to put myself on that side -- and against UofM.

Rinaldo, you mentioning this: makes me curious: have you heard Anna Russell's take on the Ring Cycle? (Heh. I'm assuming you know about Anna Russell in the first place -- it's surprising to me how many people don't.) It's almost as good as her "How To Write Your Own Gilbert And Sullivan Operetta," and "Folk Music Through The Years."

Sure, Rabrab, I've known Russell's "Ring" routine for years -- I think most of my music-major classmates (IU, late 60s) did. And it's funny and all, and sort of accurate. But (I can hear myself about to start sounding like a priss here, sorry!) I'm kind of over it. My problem is that so often, this is the only thing people know about the Ring -- the joke routine, putting it down. If there's a local Ring production, the radio station will bring out Anna Russell, think they're clever and original, and consider their job done. I'd be happier if all the people who know Anna Russell so well also knew Wagner's masterpiece equally well.

Oh, I can see that, Rinaldo, and I don't think you're coming over a priss at all. I don't know Wagner as well as I know her piece, but she is the reason I've actually listened to more of the Ring than just the "Ride of the Valkyries". Some of it is stunningly beautiful; some of it literally gives me a headache. She can be a decent hook, if you will. She massively oversimplifies G&S, too (theatre wonk here, so I've done much more G&S than opera.) It's the radio station idiots I blame, though (used to be one of them, too, so I can call them that,) who don't know and don't care; they just want their Community Service hours out of the way.

One of my favorite Anna Russell performances is in the old puppet-movie Hansel and Gretel, in which she does the Witch and gets to sing a bit. She throws in bits of "Hoyotoho!" and has a great old time, totally hamming it up.

I know my G&S pretty well too, and her routine is a very funny and accurate one (in this case, I'm confident that people enjoy it because they do recogniize the model); of course it has to be confessed that G&S is a sitting duck for this sort of thing, because (though I adore 'em) they did write to a pattern in show after show.

Speaking of which, I have to recommend The Musical of Musicals -- it's been recorded on the JAY label and has had a return engagement off-Broadway this summer. Four performers (two of whom are the authors) perform five musical spoofs, each telling the "evil landlord demands she pay her rent" story: successsively
Corn! (Rodgers & Hammerstein)
A Little Complex (Stephen Sondheim)
Dear Abby! (Jerry Herman)
Aspects of Junita (Andrew Lloyd Webber)
Speakeasy (Kander & Ebb)
and they nail each one brilliantly and hilariously.

This summer? as in maybe possibly hopinghopinghoping during TARcon? I've got to see that! or at least hear it! (Oh, jeez, I'm bouncing in my chair like I did when I heard TAR was on the schedule. I am such a freak.) I'll stop in at my friendly, neighborhood "you want what?" record store and have them order it for me.

Have you ever had a chance to see the Reduced Shakespeare Company? It's also minimal cast/authors, and they don't stay with one show long enough for it to get old.

I've no idea who Anna Russell is, but I have seen the Reduced Shakespeare Company several times. They are frickin' hilarious. Hamlet in 10 minutes, 3 minutes, 1 minute, backward. Snerk.

I Ren Faired for six years in a past life.

I used to see them all the time at the local Renaissance Faire, but they haven't been around here in ages. Where are they performing now?

Rinaldo, I think it was being expected in my first semester of theory (and I didn't have any theory before my junior year in college, I started out as a Russian major) to be able to take harmonic dictation of four part Bach chorales. Just typing that sentence made me tense!

I really can sightread almost anything (and I was better at sightreading rhythm than my percussionist sightreading partner), but am especially happy to be reading 20th century pieces. It's like my brain is wired for modern chromaticism. I can pick up Rutter or Barber or even Stravinsky in no time.

Since moving to Christ Church I get to sing (see, I'm trying to make it sound really exciting) selections from Matthew Passion every year on Good Friday and Christmas Oratorio every third Christmas. And the organist, who worships Bach almost as much as his risen Lord, inflicts (er, I mean, selects) one or two cantatas a year for special Sundays. I'm actually beginning to get used to it and even like the Passion, which is just gorgeous now that I've sung it a few times. And everyone is ready for my whining upon the first reading of new (to me) Bach, but it's more a matter of form now than of real terror. I did leave a rehearsal of the Christmas Oratorio in tears the first year I sang there though--complete frustration and a feeling that somehow I wasn't really a musician because I couldn't manage this whole Bach thing. Stood out on American Street sobbing with hovering tenors and an alto talking me down off of my mental ledge. That level of angst is, thankfully, behind me. (Yes, the "diva" was earned in both good and bad senses....)

My erstwhile fiance was a theater major (lighting designer). We'd break into songs from musicals at the least provocation. The Slipper and the Rose was our little play, with Candide and Pippin running close second and third. I think he ended up marrying his high school English teacher and I know he manages a theater in Pennsyltucky (that's nonurban Pennsylvania).

Musical of Musicals sounds very clever. The last musical I saw in NY was Into the Woods. (or was that A Walk in the Woods? I saw them both on the same day. Bernadette Peters and Sam Waterston and Robert Prosky all in the same few hours. Mind boggling.)

Reduced Shakespeare plays the Madison Civic Center Theatre a couple of times a year now, so they're too big for the RennFaire circuit. They're doing national tours. I don't blame them--they regularly sell out a couple-maybe-three-hundred-seat theatre three nights at $25-45 a ticket, here.

I know what you mean, BoDiva. I'll never forget one time a chorus I was singing in DC was sight-reading a (modern) piece, and when we came to one tricky rhythmic line I was the only person singing one rhythm. Our director stopped and said, "You know what I've told you over and over about how if you're the only person singing one way, you're probably doing it wrong? Well, not this time!" Hee! It was a great moment of triumph in an otherwise colorless existence, or something like that.

Hee, Mama Tiger! That's great! I'm with both of you on finding that rhythm reading comes relatively easy, easier than pitches. I sometimes worry (I hope without cause) that I'm not as effective a teacher of rhythm sightreading, because while I had to work at pitch, rhythm was more in the "isn't it obvious? it's just mathematical divisions" category. But they do seem to get it, eventually if not immediately. The "Geographical Fugue" is a great help.

Well, oddly, I don't read rhythm as well as I used to. Although it could be that I only don't in Bach because after a while all those little notes run together. I aver that I have hemidemisemiquaverphobia.

I have finally joined TIVO nation. By the end of the week I'll be blissfully recording everything I meant to record but forgot to. YES!

This is hilarious. I'm a total musical theatre junkie, so when I heard about this show I went out and bought the CD immediately. Now I'm dying for somebody to go up to New York with me so I can see it. The Sondheimesque section is simply amazing, but "Aspects of Junita" has my favourite part:



Poking fun at ALW is simply the best.

Anyway, some of you may know that I'm an aspiring stage actress (feel free to roll your eyes,) and I just got back from an audition today that went absolutely swimmingy. There are still two more audition dates, but the director told me that I could consider myself cast. Woohoo! This means that I now have two projects, one acting and one singing (neither of which pay but oh well -- I have a day job) that will keep me busy through early December.

Two performing gigs, a romantic prospect, fifteen pounds lost, and TAR is on my television again. This has been the best month ever!

The guy that my dad carpools with has called at 6 am a few times before. I'm able to forgive that though, because my dad usually answers the phone quickly, and they leave for work at 6:30, so if he needs something, it has to be done.

That's awesome, jadeddaisy. Congratulations.

Today I had the worst hangover of my life. I was at my bf's cousin's wedding last night, and there was a n open bar. I can't say no to free alcohol! So, after 3 coolers, 2 glasses of wine, 3 double whiskeys and 3 single whiskeys, I crawled into the back seat of the van and promptly fell asleep. We walked home later, but I don't remember anything after I changed into my pajamas, but my bf (Bill) said we were up for awhile after that. In the morning I did not want to get out of bed, but we were going for brunch because Bill's aunt Rosalie and uncle Nelson are visiting from Salt Lake City. So I paid for brunch when all I had was a coffee, some water, a slice of watermelon and a slice of cantaloupe. Luckily I was feeling better by the time I had to go to work.

I feel for you, mel. It never pays to mix, and practically nothing mixes with wine. My worst hangover ever was one of those times. I had stayed overnight at my B&SIL's instead of driving home (duh), but I had to be to work early in the morning. So I'm in a strange house hanging my head over the toilet at 5:30 a.m., when the fluffy, fuzzy toilet seat cover (God, I hate those things) makes the toilet seat and lid come crashing down on the bridge of my nose. Ouch! I felt so awful, but I just had to laugh. Cuz it's funny.

Thanks for the help with what to wear at my friend's wedding! I'll probably go with the blazer/khaki thing. This group of friends is extremely laid back, so I have no idea what anyone else will be wearing, but I'm going to dress well for me, not for anyone else. (Unless they've got some hot female of-age cousins I don't know about.)

I'm not scared of an ascot, but if I wear one, I'm afraid I'll be the talk of the wedding, not, you know, the bride and groom.

And I'm well aware of the changeability of Michigan weather, having spent time with unprepared friends looking for sweatshirts at the Ludington Meijer on a camping trip--Fourth of July weekend.

They're having the reception before the wedding -- the reception starts in the afternoon at the site of the wedding outdoors, with things wrapping up with the wedding at sunset. I have a feeling I won't have the same hangover that you had, mel42024.

Hi everyone - I am now at Christ Church in Oxford England. Technically I am only supposed to be checking email but this is sort of email isn't it?

Hey, smallest cathedral in England! I'm trying to think where the nearest pub is to you. Heh. Have you found the Turf Tavern yet?

Cool! Having a great time, I hope, M. Darcy?

My worst hangover wasn't from mixing. I could always mix with impunity. Nope, for me it was some homemade beer that guys in my college dorm made and decided we needed to drink when the bottles started exploding in the closet where it was "aging." Tasted great. Everyone had a ration of two bottles. One of my friends didn't want theirs, and I figured, hey, four beers, no problem, right? Wrong. I think it took me three days to recover from that one. I had people calling me for weeks asking me why I did some of the strange things I apparently did for many hours that night of which I have zero recollection.

Which is one really good reason why I don't drink today. :-)

Hi All! I haven't been around in a while and I was wondering if you are all still doing to Live AOL TAR chats during the show?

Hoping to be able to attend TARCON this year to see everyone again.

Still loving the ONLY new summer show that is in the top 10 of the ratings. I have just been crazy busy.

shy: the chats are still going on at twoptarchat.

Hey shy! Nice of you to stop by!

Hopefully if you make it to TARCON this year, I'll be there this time. I remember missing the Vegas Con last year, and how you couldn't make TARCON4, but hopefully it'll work out this year. Same goes for everyone else.

Of course, it'll help if we had a finale date!


This might be just me, Mama Tiger, but whenever I've had a massive hangover, I always tend to vow not to drink that day, but end up drinking twice as much. I never get a hangover the next day. Eventually, the pain sinks in and you don't even know it's there (for the most part). Other than that, if it Monday, which it is, and I felt this way now, I probably wouldn't even think of drinking anytime soon.

Hee...I hadn't had a hangover in a while, until last week. On the day that my sister was released from her Official Cherry Festival Duties (yay, all this TC talk) her boyfriend and I took her out to celebrate, along with a bunch of other friends. In the words of Mel Brooks, "It's good to be the king." Well, actually, it's good to be the Cherry Queen and Cherry Queen's sister, because we didn't pay for a drink all night. I ended up doing Jaeger bombs with her in the wee hours of the morning. We got home at 6 am and I had to leave for the airport to fly back to California at 7. Somewhere between home and the airport I went from happy drunk to hungover. I got to fly across the country dealing with incompetent United employees, bad landing gear, Ohare International Airport, and overbooked flights with a raging hangover. Remind me not to do that again...except not, because we're going to Vegas next month with the same people.


ETA: Mama Tiger, my husband did that brewing stuff in college. He still has bottles in the basement of his parent's house. It's a family joke to make outrageous bets with one another involving his beer.

I have had to strip wallpaper hungover as well, and that really sucks. I chose to do the lower half so that way I could sit down while I was doing it.

I'm sure it's not as bad as being hungover on a plane, europa, but I did do a ten hour bus ride from Lucerne, Switzerland to Milan, Italy to Nice, France after a night of drinking. There was only one stop on that bus ride, so it was hell.

There was also one notable occasion involving tequila and a Native American pow-wow being held on campus. But that's probably best left to the murky depths of time where it belongs.

I cannot fathom the terms open bar, wedding, bar, rehearsal dinner, bar, shots, whiskey, wine, bar, liquor, wine, vodka, titty champagne, shots or dancing on a banquet in bridesmaid's dress at 3 am for a few days. Shhhh. I can actually feel the liquor in my stomach. I also still need to sleep. Three hours in two days makes for an unhappy Monday.

Oh, or "beer". Why do I have three keyboards today???

What the heck is titty champagne? I think I know, but maybe I don't. And maybe I don't want to know, either....

Hee, should have been a comma there - but we actually think that they opened a bottle of champagne themselves (while on the party bus, I leaned over to open a bottle but the pressure released the cork, it went flying and the rest is history. Although then it worked from across the bus, too, so....)

I thought mine were talented, but...wow.

Yes, a spectacle to say the least, although it might lead into an excellent burlesque show eventually. For all my bitchin' & moanin' about the corset/suck you in undergarments, the payoff was pretty amusing.

SeaBreeze341 (and everyone else who was wondering), theschnauzers posted a link in the media thread from USA Today that stated the finale date as September 28. At least we have the answer now.

My reading of that article is that the new Tuesday shows start Sept 28th and that would put the finale the week before.

I consider you all some of the brightest people I've come across, sooo does anyone know how to approach a problem like this:



Statistics make my brain explode all over my nice clean desk. Or is this Probabilty? See? I have no clue.

I could do it the long way, but I would probably miss TARcon. Because it would take me forever.

I just realized that I probably have to do this the long way regardless, but it would still help to know how many combos I should end up with.

Head go boom.