I am skipping around and blogging about this topic today because it's on my mind.

I do not cook.

I can ... sort of. But I have never had the patience, and my repertoire is extremely limited. I do have one really good meal that I can make. But it is extremely not healthy, so I don't make it often. However, I had the day off yesterday and offered to make it for the family. I even snapped a picture on Sir Percy before we ate.

The meal is called chicken pillows. I got the recipe from my sister-in-law. They are delicious. And I do everything I can to lessen how fattening they are, and I think they still taste just as awesome. So I am assuming I am supposed to give you the actual recipe right? I tried to be lazy and look it up so I could just link to it, but there are at least a dozen or so versions, so here is what I do:

The pillows are in the back bowl.

Ingredients:
8 oz. cream cheese
5-6 chicken strips, cooked and shredded
2 packages crescent rolls
melted butter
seasoned breadcrumbs
2 cans cream of chicken soup
sour cream
(I do fat free cream cheese, sour cream and chicken soup and reduced fat crescent rolls)

Mix together the cooked chicken and the cream cheese. Place tablespoon size of mixture onto unrolled crescent rolls. Fold to make a little pillow. Roll in melted butter and then breadcrumbs. Place on cookie sheet, and bake according to crescent roll packaging.

For the sauce, mix together the sour cream and the soup in a saucepan and heat on the stove until runny. Now I usually just estimate on the sour cream, but I think my sister-in-law's recipe is 1 cup for 1 can of soup, but that is never enough gravy, so about 2 cups  for the two cans I suppose. Pour over chicken pillows. I always make it with mashed potatoes, and the gravy goes well on those as well. Then I include broccoli or another vegetable.

Man, I am almost embarrassed publishing this recipe,  it is so bad. Did I mention I cut out a bunch of butter from the original recipe? It really is just a ONCE-IN-A-WHILE treat, but so good; enjoy it sparingly. This is a double batch that makes 16 pillows. They actually reheat really well on day two.

Even though it is not quite 10 PM here, I cannot seem to keep my eyes open very well. So I am going to leave you with a YouTube video tonight, in lieu of a "real" post.

I quite enjoy Flight of the Conchords. They are this comedy folk duo from New Zealand (why does Zealand have a red squiggle under it? It's a country, shouldn't it be in the dictionary?). They had a TV show on HBO for two seasons, with a couple of corresponding albums: http://flightoftheconchords.co.nz/

I was first introduced to them through my former roommate Audrey, who played this song for me because someone gave her "business socks" when she got married as a joke. It is quite funny. So enjoy and goodnight.

One of the great things I love about music is that sometimes you hear lyrics that make you yell out "Yes! That is exactly how I feel." or "That is exactly what I believe. Thank you for putting it more eloquently than I ever could." This happens to me quite a lot, especially as I listen to a lot of musicals, and there is almost always a story behind those songs.

A lot of my favorite moments like those have been with lyrics written by Stephen Sondheim. I love everything he has done that I have heard so far. I have simple tastes; I am not cultured enough to understand the complexities of what he writes. All I know is whether or not I love how it sounds and what the words say. And with him, I do love it. I recently got my hands on an album of his called Sondheim on Sondheim, which is from a small revue show that ran for three months on Broadway in 2010. The show goes through his songs, some famous and some that did not make it into the final versions, and in between are recordings of Sondheim talking about his life and about the shows.

My "Yes!" moment this time actually happened during one of the spoken segments of the CD. He said:

My first serious relationship occurred when I was 60 years old, when I fell in love. And I think it didn't happen until then because I wasn't open for it; I wasn't ready for it. I was brought up as an only child; I enjoyed being an only child. I enjoyed being alone; I still enjoy often being alone. But I think I had gotten in the habit of it, and when I met somebody the habit got broken.

Other than the part about being an only child, I could see myself saying this in 30 years. I have never been in love. I have never even come close, and sometimes I do not think I ever will. It does not feel like me. The idea that someone else will always be there has never sit comfortably with me. I truly enjoy/prefer spending a good portion of my time alone. Not all, I do need my people time, but often.

I fear I am not explaining myself very well. My point is that often I let myself get caught up in measuring my life by other people's time lines, even though it doesn't match what I want. I am 26 and based on the culture I grew up in I should be married with 1-2 babies by now, right? No! Because I am not ready for it yet! I might not be for several more decades. And if that works for me, then who cares? This has been in my head ever since my first listen of that CD, and now it is OFF MY CHEST. Mission accomplished.

I am 100% cheating and setting the post date retroactively so it says I posted April 9th. I did not though. Why? I completely spaced it. I thought about it at work, but not once did it enter my mind once I got home.

I wanted to do a photo essay showing my beautiful new living quarters, but they aren't quite done yet, so I am going to do that later. And as much as I love this prompt, that was my only idea.

Instead I will leave you with a picture of part of one of my bookcases. The top shelf is my YA to-be-read shelf, which is books I own that I haven't read yet. THIS IS EXACTLY WHY I NEED TO STOP BUYING BOOKS!  Oh, and I also have an adult to-be-read shelf. AND I have three more in the mail on their way. I have problems.

Follow me!

So I browsed through my Google Reader to see what I was in the mood to recommend to you. I am not even going to mention blogs I have talked about before or already introduced to friends. I've picked two blogs I follow to share with you.

Smart Pretty and Awkward
This is a recent discovery of mine that I quite like. The posts are short and sweet: each one includes a tip/link to make you smarter, one to make you prettier and one to make you (less) awkward. They're always sweet and interesting, and occasionally their suggestions really make you think.

A Librarian's Guide to Etiquette
This is another short one, really short, each post is usually 2-3 sentences. They can be quite hilarious. Some you might only find funny if you are a librarian, but others will make anyone laugh. Definitely worth checking out.

Big green heart blob = spinach pasta dough

Wait, where did we get this meme idea from? I don't know who to attribute this to. Oh well, I'm too tired right now to look it up ... next time.

Here's some love I felt this past week:

• buying books for friends and tracking their shipping progress online
• the best turkey burger ever at Red Robin this weekend with a new friend
• said burger was followed by a wonderful college production of Into the Woods at Creighton University
• hearing friends (that's you Micki) tell me they have started following my blog and are actually enjoying it
• LIBRARY BOOK SALE! (volunteering and browsing)
• hearing my EEB's plans for my trip to visit her next month - Oh the anticipation!
• feeling happy ... with myself and with my life
• succeeding with my basic knowledge of HTML
• my beautiful new room and my gorgeous purple closet
• finishing my blog post before 11 PM!

My first gif (thanks to Christina). I hope it's not too annoying.

We all know by now that my idea of the best in live entertainment will always be live musical theater. I do enjoy regular theater too, but I prefer to have the singing. I don't go to many music concerts. I've seen Ingrid Michaelson live three times with my EEB, and other random things here and there.

So instead I will mention some of my performance pet peeves. This has been on my mind anyway because I saw several of them in action at performances last week.

• Coming in late, getting up during a performance and generally moving when you should be sitting.
• Talking during the show and whispering "What?" really loudly when you don't catch something.
• Cell phones - we get reminded to turn them off before every show. And invariably someone's always goes off about 20 minutes in. And then they never shut it off immediately, but just let it ring. At Next to Normal a couple weeks ago with Becky this woman near us answered her phone, and thought covering it with her jacket was good enough. IT WAS NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
• Being tall - There isn't much you can do about this one, but stop it already with the good posture!
• Leaving early- I witnessed this in full force last week when I saw the national tour of Young Frankenstein with my dad. It REALLY bugs me. A LOT. I mean, the entire cast just gave you their all for two plus hours, not to mention the time they put in beforehand. So sit your ass back in your chair and give them the 5 minutes worth of applause that is the least they deserve. Come on!
• Standing ovations - I am going to try to not get carried away now. Standing ovations are supposed to be special. You are already telling the cast you thought they did well by clapping. But I think most people just assume they should stand at the end of every show. This diminishes the honor of a standing ovation. I give them when well deserved for a great show or outstanding performance. I hate when everyone stands at the end of a good show. The worst part is when I can't see because everyone else is on their feet, so I become an involuntary part of the ovation. Drives me nuts.

It's common courtesy and respect. Thus endeth my ranting. That wasn't too long right?

Well, first off I would have to start with some research, seeing as I have never purchased a lottery ticket before. But I have been tempted to buy them, so I do have thoughts on what I would do.

First and foremost I would pay off all my debt, then I would set aside enough to cover the rest of grad school. I would definitely forgive any debts owed to me. I would like to create college funds for my seven nieces and nephews. Then I would spread some money love around among my family and friends. I would give a bunch away  to charity. I know everyone says that, and I am too selfish to give it all away I freely admit that, but with that much money how can you not do something good with part of it? I know I would give some to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and to Shelterbox (a new one I discovered thanks to Maureen), but I would have to do some research to decide where else to donate. And to be really boring I would invest/save a very large chunk of it.

Now the list of possible frivolous things I would like to do:

• A big trip to New York City would be in order. I have been there several times, but this would be in style, staying at the Plaza one night or something like that. I would see every show (the ones that appealed to me) that was playing there at least once.
• I would love to make a list of all the national Broadway tours and local community theater productions over a month or two and do a ginormous road trip around the country just going wherever the shows are.
• I would buy every cast album I don't own yet that I have ever wanted or even heard in passing.
• I would finally make it to France and Italy, and a whole crap ton of other places.
• I would take each of my two best friends, Chelsea & my EEB, on a trip wherever they wanted to go, all expenses paid.
• I would like to buy a house, but it all depends on when this big win happens. I don't want to live in Omaha, but I am here for the next two years or so. After that though ... wherever I end up I would buy a house, not big 'cause I don't need it, but cute and stuff. The biggest room in the house would be the library.
• I would pay whatever it cost to create the most beautiful library in my home,with floor to ceiling shelves, tons of interesting reading nooks. And at least one ladder ... there has to be a ladder ... with wheels.
• Then I would fill it with all the books I've read or could ever want to read (though I already have a good jump on that part).

And ... that's all I have right now. You can tell where my interests lie. Maybe I will add to this later as I think of stuff, but I think this is a pretty damn good start.

I think it was Nicola who asked me for an update on my dessert-free year. I will happily oblige, but there is really nothing to report. I have made it three months now without dessert, which matches the longest I've gone before. No mess ups, no close calls, no insane withdrawal symptoms. I have moments of sadness when I see something I love, but that's it. 9 months to go! Go here if you don't know what I am talking about.

Tonight I decided to write about something that happened several months ago, but I never blogged about it. I want to get the memory down before it's gone.

Now everyone knows I am somewhat a fan of musicals. I love live musical theater, and I will always remember that my first show was The Phantom of the Opera in New York City with my dad when I was 15. I also love movie musicals, especially from the '40s and '50s, and I will always remember that the first one I ever saw was Singin' in the Rain on Turner Classic Movies (no clue how old I was).

On November 5, 2010, I had the good fortune of attending a special screening of Singin' in the Rain with my coworker Nancy at the Joslyn Art Museum here in Omaha. The highlight of the event was the presence of the film's female lead, Debbie Reynolds! She spoke before the film and signed autographs afterward. That movie was released in 1952; Reynolds was only 17 or 18 when she filmed it, and she is now in her late 70s. That woman is still going strong. She was so vibrant and energetic on stage before the film, and told us some really funny stories about filming the movie and other aspects of her career.

The experience of watching the movie was pretty wonderful as well. I am not the biggest fan of watching movies in movie theaters because I find the audience irritating and distracting. But every now and then you get the right movie with the right audience, and it comes a community experience. I was not just watching that movie next to a bunch of strangers, I was watching it with a group of people who love it as much as I do. We all laughed together as different scenes took on new meaning after Reynolds' accounts of what was happening off camera. It was wonderful.

Afterward, I waited in line for about an hour to see Ms. Reynolds and have her sign my DVD cover (Because of course I already owned it on DVD!). I felt a little guilty because by the time we got to her, she was obviously exhausted, but she signed my DVD and took a picture with us. I think I said thank you for coming or something like that. They are so desensitized to people gushing over them, and I did not want to be a gusher anyway.

It was such a wonderful experience, and one not likely to happen to me again. It is rather sad that all the stars I truly look up to and idolize are all either octogenarians or dead now. I was born at the wrong time.

It's a bit dark, but I've forgotten all my Photoshop skills, so dark it stays.