Showtime Repair Kit

Today my friend KT called me to see if I wanted to go to Michael's for craft supplies for the Grown up Shrinky Dink Party she is hosting this week.
I'm always up for a visit to the craft store so I said yes.
When we went to aisle 11 to find the grown up scissors I found this little gem.

That's right, it's the "Showtime Repair Kit" Ideal for Recitals, plays, cheer and dance events and other performances.
As a seasoned wardrobe girl I can say that this does include the basics that any good wardrobe girl or boy would need.
This kit includes buttons, bobby pins, double sided tape, hook and loop circles, pre-threaded needles, safety pins, scissors, seam ripper and straight pins.

Although I have my own all of these things in my station I was sucked in by the pink packaging, the promise of being perfect for plays and cheer performances and the amazing folding lint brush.
I'm not sure I can actually imagine using this tiny lint brush but I guess it could do in an extreme emergency
But now I have a pair of scissors and a seam ripper in the preferred color of wardrobe girls- black.
So I give this kit a thumbs up for the folding lint brush, the pink packaging and the supplies.

The trip to the $1 section at Michael's also inspired me to participate in CC Secret Santa game. So whoever is lucky enough to have me as their SS will get totally awesome Santa Soap, Santa Pez and a candy cane striped journal. Now all I need is some candy and I'll be set to go.

90 minute cardio workout

So it it back to that holiday classic, A Christmas Carol, this year. Actually we opened about a week ago.
The big change in this year's production is the fact that it has been cut to 90 minutes with no intermission. Apparently patrons wanted a shorter play so we gave it to them
The first time we ran this show it was total chaos backstage. From the front no one could tell that it looked like a herd of Victorian college kids had moved in and thrown their clothes every where backstage. Things were in discard piles that actually needed to be tracked. There is a great deal of do or die tracking in this show.
I missed three changes upstairs because I was trying to convince an actor downstairs that it was indeed time to change.
Fortunately the second time was better and it is up and running smoothly now.

It does still feel a little like a 90 minute cardio workout. I signed up for something called the Frosty Challenge at work. The Challenge is not to gain weight between Thanksgiving and New Years. I'm kinda thinking with this show it isn't going to be a problem. Not only do I go up and down the stairs about 4 or 5 times while doing my presets but I go up and down the stairs three more times during the show. Needless to say when they asked if I wanted info on walking or climbing stairs in the building as part of the Frosty Challenge I declined. Not only am I running around backstage I also don't have time to eat during the show at all. No time to stop in the crew office and have doughnuts or cookies. Maybe I should look into those Goo packets that runners "eat".

40 years of Sesame Street

Well Sesame Street turns 40 this week.
When I first graduated from college I worked at a place making costumes for the Sesame Street Live tours. I remember ten years ago celebrating 30 years of Sesame Street and 25(?) years of Sesame Street Live tours.
My time there was fun but I was so young. I remember when I first got the job out of college thinking that working with Sesame Street Live things was like a dream come true and I guess that for a while it was. But after a while it became a little mundane for me. I was also young and hadn't yet learned how to balance work and social life yet. I ended up quitting after two years when I came to the realization that I was making more money at my evening and weekend waitress job. After completing years of school and college I think I just wanted to have fun.
When I quit it was sort of sad for me. I had gotten a couple bad reviews at my annual review times. Partially I think it is because I wasn't properly trained in on the processes they wanted us to use and partially because I was having a lot of boyfriend drama that was leading to depression. When I left there I thought I would never work in theater again. I was sure that even if I wanted to the two years I spent there would haunt me.
That did not happen. After waiting tables for about 6 months I got slowly back into theater and realized that it was still a passion. I think that because of those two years I try to maintain a level of professionalism where I work. I always try to give my best because I feel so thankful that I was given a second chance at theater. When I'm having a bad day I just think about how lucky I am to be where I am.
So Happy Birthday Sesame Street.

Laundromat reviews

I took on this laundry gig while I was off from my regular job.
I am just wrapping up the last of the laundry for the show. First of all let me say if I knew the laundry was going to be 3 double loaders full of laundry I never would have taken it on. But I did and now it is finished.
As a result of taking on this gig I have spent a lot of time at the laundromat over the last month because my condo building is not prepared to handle this much laundry for a show. If it had been two loads like it was the first day then maybe I could have gotten away with it but once it became apparent that it was three heaping laundry baskets full I realized that the only way to get it done and respect my neighbors would be the laundromat.
The two laundromats I spent a lot of time at were the Ultra Wash on Bloomington Ave. This laundromat is also home to Ultra Tan although I have never seen any tanning customers while I have been there. The prices seem good with the double loaders at $2.25, the triple loaders at $4.25 and the Mega loaders at $5.50. Drying is .25 for 6 minutes.
The space is kept clean and orderly by the attendants and they are always there to help with questions or issues with the machine.
Like all good laundromats the Ultra Wash has a TV which during the weekdays often have some version of Justice on, Judge Hackett, judge Joe Brown. If there are kids there they might have some PBS on.
No laundromat would be complete without a little Ms. Pac Man, which they have. They also have Soul Caliber.
The other laundromat I went to was the Vend-a-wash on Chicago and Lake. The benefit to this laundromat is that it is open 24 hours.
Think the neighborhood is sketchy? Don't worry. They lock the doors at night, there is always an attendant on duty and the attendant will help you bring laundry to and from your car.
This laundromat has everything. A jukebox that plays some current hits as well as many spanish hits. I think I heard one song in English and the rest were Spanish.
The laundry is a little more expensive here coming in at $3. for the double loaders $5 for the triple and I didn't even check the mega loaders. The dry is more expensive too. .25 will get you 5 minutes. But there are lots of tables for folding and the place is always attended so I guess you pay extra for that.
Besides the Jukebox they also feature a popcorn machine, the machines that dispense stickers and wattoos and sticky spider toys. They also have a claw machine.
Laundry wise they have a huge 10 load washer that is good for washing rugs and stuff and they have the pressing machines.

matching sexy costumes

I know Hallowwen was yesterday so this post may seem a little late. However experience has taught me that there are a lot of procrastinators out there. So this may help people get a jump on next years costume.
The other day after a long day of renting out costumes we were sitting around talking about Halloween costumes. The subject of the "sexy costumes" came up. OK so these are the short little dresses that are made for grown up women. They are low cut and fitted in the bodice and then have a short skirt. Sexy witch, sexy pirate, sexy maid, sexy Dorothy, sexy devil. The only thing that really changes is the colors and sometimes the bodice but the fit is the same. They even sell patterns for the "sexy" costumes for the DIY girls. Here are some examples of a sexy Wizard Of Oz look.
Now there are places who sell matching sexy costumes for humans and their pets. Check out SpoiledRottenDoggies.com. I was unaware that chihuahuas could feel sexy.

There are two things that make me sad about this.
1. I only found out about this on Oct. 30th.
2. They only come in XS, S and M. If they came in L or XL I would want to get one for my 20 pound cat. Also where is the love for the German Shepherds and Labrador Retrievers or English Bulldogs who wanted to be Sexy Pirates or Sexy School Girls?