Who the heck do I think I am?

This is the first year I've been on Facebook for my birthday. So many people "wrote" on my "wall" - I feel a little lame about it. Is there some kind of rule that says you have to wish everyone on FB a happy birthday? Do I now "owe" all those people birthday greetings?

I'm not good at that. That's a tremendous amount of pressure! There's a reason I don't send Christmas cards or give presents at the office (when I have one). It's not that I don't appreciate it, but I'm bad at reciprocating. And furthermore, I'm just not sure how to deal with that kind of attention.

It's quite a contrast to the year when I was in a new job, so no one knew it was my birthday, I had a rehearsal that night and no one there knew it was my birthday, and I got stopped on the way home for speeding. I didn't say anything to the cop, either, but he can't have failed to see from my license that it was, in fact, my birthday. In fact, I think that's the only reason he made it a warning instead of a ticket. As he handed my my license and registration and the paperwork back, he said, "Happy Birthday" - and as I drove away, that's when I started getting misty. It was 11:30 PM on my birthday and he was the first person all day to acknowledge it.

Not that I make a habit of feeling sorry for myself on birthdays. My family really just doesn't make a big deal out of them. From the time I was about 13, my idea of a birthday celebration was to go out with family friends and maybe have cheesecake for dessert. I didn't have big parties, because among other things, in Rochester in February, you've got a high probability that everyone you invite will be sick, or the weather will be so bad you have to cancel. And nowadays I'm nearly always in a rehearsal on my birthday (at least the last 4 years!), so making plans is just not big on the list.

OTOH, I'm still having a little trouble with this birthday just passed. I know I'd have less of an issue if my job situation were not what it is. But even without that... I never thought I'd be my age and still so far behind on everything. I found out the other day that at least two people in the show, whom I thought were older (not by much, but a little bit!) than I am, are actually younger - one by a year and one by four years. Yikes. It makes me feel rather pessimistic.

I have received one very odd present... One of my birthday twins sent a DVD because, as he put it, even though he's also out of work and shouldn't be spending the money, this was "a gem" that I would "appreciate." It's called The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra. Apparently it's a spoof of B movies. Er. Okay....


Meanwhile, I have to take action tomorrow with the temp agency because my W-2 was supposedly mailed on 1/21 and I still haven't received it. I also want to follow-up on the jobs I interviewed for - I think a week is a good length of time to wait without making contact - and gently push to see if I can make sure they know I'm still very interested. I'm also planning to call Unemployment on Wednesday and see if I can file a claim for the temp stint. Even if it's only a few buck a week, it's something.

I've been working at the theatre (and will continue to do so next week) building sets. Yesterday we had to clean the place because they're renting it tonight - so we had to put all the set-building stuff onstage behind the traveler curtain and completely clean / reset the house for the event, clean the bathrooms, etc. And it turns out that the older gentleman who does most of their set-building and maintenance used to work for Universal! We got into a long discussion about the parks and the rides. He was there for 10 years - though I don't know if anyone he knew there still works there. I'd still like to work there, dangit. I wish there were a tailor-made job for me.... Maybe it's time to check in on that again, too.

In other news, the computer is still hanging in there (knock wood), although the case is now really pulling apart at the seam. There's a strip of plastic that's supposed to sit between the top of the case and the DVD-ROM drive that is now free-floating. The DVD still works, but it rattles while the disc is turning. But I'm glad it still works because I've got 4 more episodes of Doctor Who (series 5) still to watch (and they don't work in the DVD player in the TV)....

Speaking of watching things, Netflix brought me Ponyo this weekend. Adorable! And so definitely Miyazaki. But that song at the end? ROTFL. And all I could think was that it is quintessentially Japanese, somehow. These are the same people who brought the world Sushi TV.

Yes, my life is Soooo Exciting, everyone!

This week has been tech week for Fiddler.

Which would have been a lot easier had I not come down with a horrid cold Monday morning.

I am still impossibly stuffed up and snuffly, but at least I feel human again. My nose hurts like almighty whatever, though, from the copious tissue-abrasions.

The show is shaping up really, really well, however.


Meanwhile, a Netflix review: Lost in Austen. ( Cut for potential spoilers )

So, yeah. I'm not sure whether A would like it or hate it, since she hates Austen (which I find really interesting, because I also lose patience for the writing, but not the characters and I love film versions of the stories), but it's not *really* a faithful representation of Austen. It's more of a wink and a nod - it's kind to the material, but not slavishly reverent. Real fans of Austen should definitely check it out, but don't expect the same story you know!


In other news, I'm still unemployed. There are still few to no jobs I'm seeing that I'm interested in *and* qualified for. There are still too many jobs for which I'm grossly *over*qualified but that hold no interest for me. And while the weather was great this week, Monday was the *only* day I managed to get outside and walk, because the whole rest of this week, I've been so much with the headcold. This has to be the worst cold I've had in three years, easily. Gak.


Oh, and one little thing on the Infinitus front: SQUEE is coming. Serious, serious SQUEE. Wait for it....

I'm in full agreement with Flanders and Swann:

The thing I really dread
When I've just got out of bed
Is to find that there's a spider in [my path]



What I hate most about spiders is that they're sneaky bastards. They conceal themselves in the most innocuous places, like, say... in a cooler, and there you are, going about your business. You flip up the flap of the cooler and - BAM. There's the spider. Lying in wait.

Shudder, shudder, shudder.

The cooler is currently enjoying the fresh air while I wait for the spider to leave. I tried to shake it out and dropped the cooler, so... it can stay there for a bit.

guhuhuhuh.