I have survived....

My dance studio had a show in March.  I was a participant and discovered I have a little acting talent.  This is only my third show, so I'm constantly discovering new talents I didn't know I had.  I have discovered that I can make people laugh. For instance, my maid role in the Nutcracker stole alcohol at the party and got drunk...it was great and people came up to me after the show and told me I was hilarious.

This last role was a character role; I didn't dance, but I still had a lot of fun.  The only drawback to the whole thing is that I was sick throughout tech week and the show (and the week after, but who's counting?).  Really sick.  Running a fever sick.  As in I-had-to-miss-work sick.  I never miss work.  I only miss work when I have a migraine (which I get roughly every six-eight months), so taking two days off in a row is RARE.  Still, I needed the time off and recovered a lot faster, I think.

Here's a picture of me in my role.  You can't see my face, but it kind of drives home the awesome hat I got to wear.  Seriously.  It was the best hat ever.  The show was set in the 1930s, and I was supposed to be channeling Ginger Rogers with the tilted hat.  The number one reaction I got from other dancers was "You look like a mob boss wife in the Godfather!"  Hey, I'll take it.

Note the awesome hat.  I wanted to steal my entire costume (I didn't!); it was that awesome.  Here's another shot of the awesome hat.

Look at those acting abilities!  I look like the concerned mother I'm supposed to be. I hope you all enjoy the pictures.  I know I enjoyed being in the show and doing something a little out of the ordinary (even with a fever over 100 and doped up on cold medicine because I didn't have an understudy).


Now that the show is over, I'm able to return to my normal life of dance, writing, and work.  Oh, and Camp Nanowrimo is coming up.  :)  Just in time for me really to focus on my writing.  Woot!

Laissez les bon temps rouler!!

Happy Mardi Gras, everyone!

One thing few people know about me was that I was born in New Orleans.  My family moved to West Virginia when I was still young, but we didn't leave behind everything in the Big Easy. 

The thing we definitely kept was the food and tradition of Mardi Gras.  Of course, almost no one in my school heard of Mardi Gras or some of the food my family made in celebration of the day.

Yesterday, it was my time for celebration, especially since I wouldn't be able to commit a lot of time to it on Tuesday.  I made jambalaya and King Cake.  Here are some pics!

My jambalaya.  I cook a brown jambalaya instead of a red jambalaya.  Don't tell my mother, but I prefer this type over the tomato based jambalaya I ate while I was young.  It's a simpler dish, without the need for roux and other things.  I found a good andouille sausage at the grocery store for some authentic flavor, and it was awesome. 

And King Cake!  Ok, I made a bit of a mess with the sugar, but it still tasted awesome.  Half of it is already gone, since my roommates and I have been sharing it since last night.  It's not really cake, but more a quick bread in my cooking experience.  I rarely make these, since there is a bit of work involved.  It was totally worth it.  Warm cinnamon and sugar inside, cripsy colored sugar outside and you have an awesome meal, my friends. 

Tomorrow starts Lent, so I hope that the King Cake will be gone when I wake up and I won't have to avoid it.  That makes things hard.  Especially when I love King Cake.  And jambalaya.  I suppose that is why freezers were invented.  Anyone else celebrate Mardi Gras?