I think I'm noticing a trend...

If you look at the number of posts per month that I've made in the past 6 months, it has been a steadily decreasing number, starting with a heroic 13 posts in May, dwindling down to a measly 2 in October (once I've posted this one). Another trend is how frequently (relatively) I comment on my own inability to blog consistently.

I guess at the end of the day I actually forget that this blog exists. I get so busy living my life, wrapped up in my own triumphs, trials, and tribulations (this phrase will always and forever remind me of one of my very favorite Star Trek episodes, the DS9 episode "Trials and Tribble-ations", in which the crew of the USS Defiant are sent back in time and find themselves aboard the original USS Enterprise during the Original Series "The Trouble with Tribbles" episode. Classic. Nobody cares but me? Ok, then.) that I forget that I've sort of promised to chronicle my life, not just for posterity but because there are at least a few people out there who care.

Perhaps the most interesting thing that's happened recently is that my parents came to NJ/NYC to visit me this past weekend! We had a really nice time, eating wonderful meals, hanging out in Hoboken, exploring the city a little, doing some shopping, and seeing Mary Poppins on Broadway. I know, I know. True New York Theatre People do not go to see Mary Poppins. Well, True New York Theatre People, you can go pound salt, because it was really fun. Actually, it was some of the best old-fashioned stage effects I've ever seen (and by old fashioned I mean it wasn't just lots of projections or lights or lasers or anything), culminating in Bert tap-dancing across the proscenium, suspended upside down 50 feet in the air, singing all the while. Unbelievable. And the show ended with Mary flying out from the stage, over the Orchestra section, and then straight up past the Mezzanine, past the Balcony, and onto a catwalk at the very top of the theater (and she made it back down to the stage in under 3 minutes for curtain call!).

We had a lovely time, and I was really happy to finally show my family Hoboken, which I've been talking about for years now. Shortly after my folks left (incidentally, Christen didn't come because she was home sick with double pink-eye), I went into the city to go to my first "Sing-along with Matta". My dear friend, Matta, back in our school days, started the tradition of getting a big group of people together to learn and sing through a big musical ensemble number, just for kicks. Now that he's fully established in NYC, he's decided to start it up again. Drawing from his huge network of actors and friends, it promises to be a fun group to be a part of going forward. The group on Sunday, most of whom I did not know, sang through "Together" from On the Twentieth Century, and "Weekend in the Country" from A Little Night Music. Both were extremely fun, though in typical Sondheim fashion "Weekend" was a bit tough. But we sang, and we laughed, and then we went home. I may not be living in the area much longer, but I certainly hope that I can attend a few more of these, because singing in an ensemble (particularly a good one) is an unparalleled experience.

So I have a new obsession lately. Dear old Laura Palotie, Courtney's roommate and lately a close friend of mine, has introduced me to the wonder that is Friday Night Lights. In the 10 days since she convinced Court and I to watch the pilot, I've watched over 25 episodes (I know that this number is pretty bush league compared to the online TV episode consumption abilities of some of my peers, but it's pretty darn good for me). And I'm completely hooked. It's such a gripping story, with terrific acting. I now have 3 TV series that I'm totally hooked on that are in various states of progress. I have 2 seasons of The West Wing left to watch, a little over 2 seasons of Battlestar Galactica let to watch, and now a little under 4 seasons of Friday Night Lights left to watch. And that's not to mention all of the other shows that I want to start watching (like Mad Men), or the shows that I used to watch regularly but now need to catch up on (like House and Glee), or the shows that I've seen a gazillion times but want to re-watch again (like ST:TNG, ST:DS9, and ST:VOY). The funny thing to me is that you'd think being employed only part-time that I'd have more than enough opportunity to watch all this and more. However, I have learned about myself over the years that I am an incredibly high-efficiency person when I have more going on than one can reasonably handle in a given time period. But when I have too much time on my hands, I become an extremely low-efficiency person, and I do almost nothing at all. So, while I yearn for free time when I'm really busy, when I actually have free time, more often than not I don't do anything with it. That's something about myself I'd like to change, because at the very least I have lots of leisure activities that I enjoy (like reading, watching TV/movies, and playing computer games) that I just don't do a whole lot of, not to mention all of the other important things I probably should be doing.

Well, Spacklelites, that's enough for now. I'll see you when I see you! Until then,

Keep calm and carry on.