Monday: in office day. I drank like a third of a bottle of giant caffeinated water and admitted to such in a Zoom meeting. Because even after getting over seven hours of sleep, STILL TIRED, as was everyone else. Instead of starting out with some Optimistic! Quote! for the morning meeting, my boss had one about looking forward to Tuesday through Friday, something like that. I note that she had a bunch of medical appointments that didn't go so well on Friday and was still cranky about 'em--I was all "yeah, the optometrist told me the same shit 'at your age' about getting bifocals and three pairs of glasses too. BLEAH."

Surprisingly enough, today was not a total hell day. I note that it is the first week of our general clientele coming back here, and Giant Org was busier than usual inside the building and out. Like I went outside about 20 minutes before we opened to the public (I returned a dress I ordered off Amazon that didn't fit (too bad the next largest size is, of course, sold out) and they refunded me immediately, which is nice. Love Amazon locker) and there was already a line at the door. I warned the new coworkers to NOT GO OUT THERE. BUT, supposedly, so far, they have enough staff--or at least temps who used to work here before--that they didn't tell us we all have to get on the phones this week. That said, I know better than to believe that until after 4 p.m. each day.

One of the lost packages turned up, so there's that, at least. Others are still in the mail or lost or whatever. My boss still wants me to do BUT THE EMAILS (specifically ones from June I couldn't answer then and still can't now, so I am not bothering unless I am really, really out of shit to do), and I will note I at least did more urgent ones, and then, as happens pretty much every day, Other Shit Dropped On Me and there went the rest of the day, including my afternoon break, because they dropped "must be keyed today" on me at 4 p.m.

In the news today, (a) the Queen's funeral happened--I watched it online, predictably boring, (b) Biden declared the pandemic over, WHICH I MOST HEARTILY DISAGREE WITH, THAT WAS STUPID OF YOU, and (c) Adnan Syed is free!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so pleased. I thought it would never happen at the rate of things being stopped as they were years ago. I'm delighted that people in Baltimore realized what a fucking travesty it all is and how they really need to investigate those other suspects!

I will note that it wasn't raining when I walked to work or for when I was out earlier. It was vaguely sunny...UNTIL I HAD TO LEAVE, in which it was fucking pouring buckets of rain, flooding puddles all over the goddammed place. My clothes were drenched. My backpack was drenched. My padded laptop bag was drenched. I'm still baffled my work laptop and phone and iPod were somehow not drenched/flooded. My purse is a soggy wet mess, with at least some of the stuff totally drenched in it (my poor book...I guess I'm lucky it wasn't a library one) and bags and bags hanging up to dry. Bleeeech.... I note that right now as I'm typing this (circa 6:45 p.m.) it's dried up again but the online weather report indicates it'll be drenching again by the time I have to leave the house again. If this shit went on yesterday, I guess that's how the tunnel got flooded. I wonder if it still is?

Rehearsal: this is the usual "reading of the script" starter rehearsal, except this is 280 pages of just music only and not much in the way of script. Good lord. Usually we get out early on night one, but NOPE, ran late, no less. We are also down another person, as someone else already in the show* has gotten the Mrs. Fezziwig/Scrooge's mom slot. So that explains that situation. * Other Jennifer, who I guess everyone thought was best for Mrs. Fezziwig but originally didn't want some bigger part because she has to child wrangle

I have slightly more lines than my usual in this one ("Rags and bones! Rags and bones!" and one Merry Christmas line somewhere as a one off) AND Old Joe has a bit of actual singing solo, so HMMMMMMM to that. I don't know if that can be done in Creepy Voice (I note this is amusing people when I do it, me included) or not? I guess that'll be up to Boris? I dunno there. I note that Virginia has about as much in the way of parts as I do (one brief stint as a judge with one line + undertaker) so I do not feel 100% alone in that, even though we are both noted as just ensemble on the cast phone number list. But at any rate, this is still about the best part I'm going to get in a show here, so FINALLY, you know?

In other news, Noel was supposed to come in around 8--I guess it was parent teacher night, unsure if she's the parent or the teacher--and she made it in around 9. BECAUSE HER CAR GOT FLOODED. Seriously, her car is now in a massive puddle at the high school (note: this isn't too far from me, though my street has not flooded all the way yet). I could tell from how she talked that she's...used to weird shit happening to her, but she said something like this level of weird can really throw you off, and I said, "Are you a chaos magnet?" and she said, "Probably." ME TOO. MUST FOLLOW UP ON THIS.

Also on the follow-up list: Sage's mom, Soji, has her own garage ceramics studio, plays pickleball and knows ASL. Impressive! I did kind of laugh when they made us read the contract about "don't surprise dye your hair or get a drastic haircut or anything" since Sage's hair is currently green and Soji's is currently blue. I presume they will be forced to dye it back like Sage was for Evita. That said, I love a parent with crazy colored hair.

I ... kind of have concerns about Alex, the little boy in the show because the rest of the family is in the show. He got assigned a few lines and I guess he CAN talk, but he talks EXTREMELY QUIETLY, like I can barely hear him on an empty stage with about 20 other people. This seems...concerning... for his first performance. Not my biz,per se, but "speak up" may not be in his vocal cords. Mostly he just looked super zoned out and was on headphones throughout.

The big dance numbers in this are "Link By Link" (ghosts), Fezziwig's, and "Abundance and Charity," which appears to be the number where Jan wants people in skimpy costumes. I note that last one seems suspiciously ... modern...and at one point Christmas Present wants a Diet Coke. Mm-HMM. Oh yeah, and the gravediggers (including me since I'm all Creepy Dead in future) have to dance with "heavy shovels." Um...heavy may be a bad idea here? Where's Kimmie to discuss this? Then again, I doubt lightweight shovels EXIST, so...um....

Oh yeah, and it was pouring ass rain again--you could hear it through the wall that can raise up--and then the roof started leaking, prompting towels and buckets and Jan being all "We pay $14,000 in rent and the roof leaks every year, and we just redid the stage," and me thinking, "not gonna tell Scott about that last part."

I note that the guy playing Scrooge in the show is also named Scott. He shall be dubbed Scrooge Scott here.

Quotes: Don: "You know, if you cut a few lines we could be evil." Scrooge Scott, after saying he usually doesn't play evil parts.... "You know, I did play Satan one time."

Don: "It's musical theater, it's not meant to be true."

Sage during introductions: "During Beauty and the Beast, you can see me moving a bench."

Her dad, Marin, is Scottish and says "Link By Link" (the Marley song) is his favorite. I think this may possibly explain his singing 'Dentist" at auditions.

Another Steve (oh lord, I gotta come up with names for THREE dang Steves....albeit usual Steve was hanging around intermittently tonight, technically isn't in this except for doing whatever else. This one is Maya's dad) said, "I have no singing experience except in the shower."

After Jean (costumes) made a comment about not having food in the dressing rooms, Omar hid his face. Me: "Hiding very conspicuously, Omar."

The script has some extremely random names in it that shouldn't be there, like Fezziwig being mentioned in the begnining of the show when he should be dead, and Emily being listed as a drunk. Scrooge Scott: "Isn't he dead by now?" I was all "ooh, you get to play drunk" to Felicia, but alas, no.

After I do my first Creepy Voice Line, Don to me on Jan: "I think she was waiting on that."

Scrooge has a line, "Dammit, Cratchit." Me: "Dammit, Cratchet, I love you." Felicia was amused.

Jan has cut a lot of the weird random aside things mentioned in this script. Jan: "There's no ghosts with spilling guts--" Don: "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO." Jan: "No sleigh comes out." Don: "Awww! No blood, no guts, no sleigh."

Jan: "Everyone is nuts."

Dannette on costume changing: "I don't think Link By Link is in my future."

Okay, here's what I got of Noel recounting the flooded car story:
"My car is in the middle of a lake on 14th Street...and all this happened in an HOUR."
"If you see a Prius floating, tether it."
"The high school is flooded."
"This is a scene out of a movie. It's funny, but it's not. I will laugh someday about it very soon." (Chaos magnet words, right there, I say.)
Scrooge Scott: "At least it didn't burst into flames." Noel: "That'll be next." (Also chaos magnet words.)
She also grumbled to Dannette that her husband Ben "drives 25 miles per hour, like a grandpa." Dannette: "Arthur too." Me: "Maybe that's a good idea in this weather?"

Jan: "There's supposed to be more boys." Don: "We'll all go out on our knees."

Scrooge Scott, after another mention of "the children are being cut from this because we don't have any**: "Come along, nothings! Come along, no one! .... Well, better get on that, it'll be 9 months."

I note that for adult shows, they need to have night owl kids whose parents don't care that they're up until 10, which is why we have two specialists in main stage shows and that's about it. I think they each play like 4 kids apiece? Maybe more?
Jan talking about "big dance number." Scrooge Scott: "And I get to stand and watch!"

Omar gets to say "boo" again, like he does in B&tB. Me: "You like boo." Me on "Abundance and Charity." "And then all the food from Beauty and the Beast comes out...." I said that "Abundance and Charity" is clearly going to be The Song Stuck In Our Heads, and Felicia said it already is in hers.

Me after Jan says that the undertakers have to change into.... "What the heck is a ransacking outfit?"

Don on how Sally Anderson finally has to invite Scrooge into her home: "And then she goes, spit spit spit."

Happily, there is a board meeting/only leads rehearsing Wednesday night, SO I CAN GO SEE COME FROM AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!! SCORE!!!! Bought myself a ticket and a parking pass and I can leave after tap class. WOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOO THANK YOU LIFE FOR WORKING THAT ONE OUT!

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