www.wrybaby.com

Okay, I am totally getting ahead of myself, but I came across this website today and was basically peeing myself laughing. When I do end up having a baby, I want everything on this damn site.

Turkey Day

I have always been a Macy's parade junkie. When I was younger, it was for all the reasons Lisa mentions. In my later high school years and into and beyond college, it's been mostly to catch the numbers from the latest Broadway shows I was excited about. So far in my life, I've been to New York twice. The first time, I was my son's age or maybe even a bit younger, so it doesn't count. I literally remember one thing, and -- as cliché as it sounds -- that was neon lights. The second time I was a senior in high school and we went for a choral festival. Of course, all of my friends in chorus were my friends from theatre, so we were in our element. We saw "Guys and Dolls" with Nathan Lane, Faith Prince, Peter Gallagher, and Patti LuPone and "Jelly's Last Jam" (R.I.P. Gregory Hines!) that week. Apart from that, any out-of-town tryouts in Chicago, and the Tony Awards in May (oh, okay, and my subscription to Playbill), the Macy's parade was really my only chance to catch Broadway fever. (This year, incidentally, it looks like it'll be Wicked -- again -- and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, so not exactly a powerhouse year.)

Lately, I've been turning older and more cynical, of course, so the marketing really grates on me. The teasers I can handle; they're a part of what makes one sure the holidays have truly arrived. "Coming up: Zach Braff and the cast of 'Scrubs' sing on Times Square!" Cut to two hours later, when Zach and company lip synch with frozen lips to "Dance to the Music" with the lesser-known Sesame Street characters as the Big Bird balloon flails around just above and behind them. Priceless. But the cheesy-ass smiles on the faces of the "hosts" have got to go. I just watched three minutes of Hannah Storm and Cheesy McSmilestoomuch on CBS and almost threw the TV out the window. What the hell is their audience that needs a constant dose of saccharine aimed at their ears to enjoy this spectacle? I know I never related to it when I was a kid. "Shut up and show the float already!" Now, I want Stephen Colbert's take on the parade. Comedy Central should look into that.

Lisa is of course absolutely right about André Robinson playing the clarinet when the Tosa East band marched. I remember watching that year from my grandmother's house in Ypsilanti, Michigan (mere miles from where I was brought into this world), and I specifically recall taking pictures of the TV as they were shown. No idea where those pix are now, but I did just recently run across a picture of me, Lisa, and André. When I find it again, I'll scan it and post it here.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving, kids.

Did you guys ever get into watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade? I used to watch it religiously, when all the floats and balloons actually held relevance to my short life. I believe it was Thanksgiving of 1988, actually, when Andy's high school band performed in the parade, and I kept my eyes peeled for Andy's friend Andre, who played clarinet, right? And I swear to God I saw him, too. That was pretty exciting, but nothing beat the ole floats and characters from my childhood. Damn, I remember the teasers were the worst. You would start watching the parade at the very beginning, and somewhere in the first hour at every commercial break the announcer would hype the latest, newest cartoon character/Christmas tie-in "special appearance" as if it were going to happen in the next five minutes, therefore preventing me and my siblings from daring to leave the television to eat breakfast or even risk a pee break. Inevitably, after sitting through a bunch of boring bands and dance numbers and (let's admit it) anticlimactic balloons, said appearance would always happen in the last hour, about ten minutes before Santa Claus! The year the Cabbage Patch Kids made their debut I thought my head would explode.

The picture above is from the 1984 Macy's Parade, lovingly captured online by the wizards at X-Entertainment, they of the awesome Halloween countdowns I mentioned in an earlier post. You have got to see these to believe them. Care Bears? Check. Rainbow Brite? Check. John Ratzenberger singing? Check.

http://www.x-entertainment.com/thanksgiving/macyparade/1984/

This site has footage and commentary about the parades from 1985, 1986, and 1987, as well, and even has an archive of the commercials shown during the parades, and let me tell you, this year I am thankful for the magical time machine we call the Internet.

I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner and weekend with your families.

Yes, it's a slow day at work...

Justine as Emmett "The Hook" Lasloe!!!

More costume fun... Justine and I starred in a silent film for a friend's grad school project. Nice to see all our acting school paying off. 

I Love My Peeps

I mean the stuffed Peeps, of course, but you guys are cool too. Too rad.

I Now Pronounce You Peep and... Peep.

This cake is from a wedding Justine was working at. I just want to know where y'all can get Peeps in wedding outfits!!!

Human Contact!

Aimee, it was great to talk with you tonight. I hope we can keep that up.

Yes, that's right, folks: It is actually possible for us to communicate with one another without the direct use of computer technology!

And as promised, here's a Halloween pic of the chilluns:

She was just starting to majorly wig out as I snapped this pic. She was a happy little bunny as long as she was being pushed along, but didn't appreciate the twelve seconds of inactivity she was forced to endure as I ran in to grab the camera. She is definitely a woman of action.

And yes, he was a witch. Ask him about his favorite things, and trains and dinosaurs are always on the top of his list. He was a train last year, so you'd think dinosaur would be the call. For whatever reason, though, every time we asked him what he wanted to be for Halloween -- starting back in August -- and the first thing out of his mouth was, "A witch!" Hey, he was happy.

Note to Lisa: Yes, that's a stuffed cat he's holding with his goodie bag. I thought of you when we purchased that accessory because I new you'd appreciate it.

A teeny bit more Halloween fun...

Justine and I went to the Halloween parade in Boystown. It was a blast, although it rained, and many a fabulous costume was ruined (let me tell you, there are fewer things sadder than wet feathers). Luckily, I decided to leave the boas and showgirl headdresses at home, just this once... Justine was an undead cheerleader and I was a Brownie! We were definitely a hit. People kept asking me if they could buy my cookies...