Overwhelmed... in a very good way.

Maybe it's all the wine I had at my parents' friend's house tonight, but I'm in a place of pure happiness right now. Life is just really good. Almost overwhelmingly so.... like, I'm kind of waiting anxiously for the moment when it all crashes and burns. But as of now, things seem to be heading in the right direction. In the last three or four days, I've had a bunch of theatre opportunities come my way, one right after the other. Granted, the majority of them are upcoming auditions, so who knows what'll come of it.... but I'm excited nonetheless. So I guess today I'm grateful for possibilities.

I'm also grateful for:

• my RENT cast-mates and the fantastic shows we put on this weekend.
• my parents coming to the show last night and absolutely loving it. (I honestly wasn't sure if they'd appreciate the show and was totally prepared for their fake "It was great!" response afterwards - but they actually really loved it.)
• our dirty dancing parties backstage during "Take Me or Leave Me." Especially the gay boys pole dancing on the back of the set.
• the wonderful evening I had with my parents and their friends tonight. I really didn't expect to have such a good time.
• surrounding myself with people who make me happy, who love me, who make me laugh, who give me butterflies, who make me smile, who dance with me, who embrace me for everything I am. Life is so much better (and easier!) when you surround yourself with people who make you feel good than when you spend time with "friends" who bring you down.
• not holding myself back.

Day 198: Three Weeks From Yesterday

Three weeks from yesterday, I will be rocking out to some amazing music while sitting next to the guy that I have waited four months to be close to. In less than three weeks, I'll be where I belong, and it's one of the most amazing feelings in the world.

Today, I am grateful for:
* being so close to what I've wanted for so long.
* the music of Glee. It's jolted me out of the emotional stalemate I was in.
* ice skating. So entertaining.
* feeling a little whimsical today.
* feeling ready for anything.

Day 197: Pinky and the Brain

Today, I am grateful for:
* perfect text messages.
* only being three weeks away from him.
* Dave Eggers. Such a brilliant writer.
* dreams, in the REM cycle sense.
* ah hell, dreams in general.

Day 196: Icicles and Snow

Today, I am grateful for:
* feeling cute today. For the first time in a while I actually did my hair and full make up and put on one of my nicest sweaters to go out today. I was just running errands, but it was a nice confidence boost to notice other people noticing me.
* President Obama. The more I watch of him this week, the more I'm impressed. I watched his question session with the Republicans today, and he was an absolute rockstar.
* how beautiful the town was today.
* having someone counting down the days (22) until they get to see me.
* feeling good about working out.

"This is our job. To lie to you. We're liars. Professional liars."

Today, I'm grateful for:

• discovering new plays and playwrights. I finally used my Borders giftcard from Christmas the other day and picked up two collections of short plays, one by Neil LaBute and the other by John Patrick Shanley. This afternoon was spent delving into LaBute's plays - I highly recommend Liar's Club, and once I'm a little older, I'd love to perform his extended monologue entitled Falling in Like. Both genius.
• Closer. (Both the film and the original play by Patrick Marber.) I watched it for the first time in a while on Tuesday, and I'd forgotten how brilliant the dialog is. I lovelovelove when Alice asks Dan, "What would my euphemism be?" and he replies, "She was disarming."
• Operation Pool Party.
• movie nights with K.
• starting another weekend of shows tomorrow!

Day 195: Best Places...

Today, I am grateful for:
* good books.
* P's gift coming in the mail today. I have a little while before I need to send it, but it's fun to look through in the meantime.
* the N2N soundtrack. So brilliant.
* having time to play with my guitar today.
* random reasons to smile.

Days 193 & 194: State of the Union

Today, I am grateful for:
* having a president that I am proud of. Bush is the only president whose SOTUs I can recall, so it was an amazing experience for me to be inspired by the State of the Union.
* Rufus coming back. He got out for two hours today, and I was absolutely frantic. But he came home wagging his tail and smiling and popped right in the door when we opened it. He's spent the rest of the day napping wherever I am.
* The Looking Glass Wars. Kelli gave it to me for Christmas, and it was a great read. Alice in Wonderland is probably one of my favorite tales, and this retelling happens to be fantastic.
* a few days of relaxation. I'm still kind of emotionally worn out from the trip to Maryland, so it's been nice to relax at night with a good book and not have to worry too much.
* messages that make me smile.
* books. In general. I love them. Reading is one of the things I really love to do but don't get to do enough of.
* bite sized cheesecakes.
* our amazing neighbors.
* feeling pretty yesterday even though I was in sweatpants.
* long, hot showers.