Good Morning Starshine

On this day in 1968 HAIR: The American Tribal Love Rock Musical opened on Broadway at the Biltmore Theatre and would forever change the course of my life.  Of course I wouldn’t be born for 22 so it would be awhile before I realized the importance of this date.

The 2009 Tony Awards is the event that really put this transformation of my life into motion.  For as long as I can remember my mom, my sisters and I have watched The Tony Awards together and this year was no exception.  When the revival cast of HAIR took the stage I was enthralled.  Something about this performance just grabbed a hold of my heart and I was hooked.  I looked at Kellan and told her that when we went to New York in January we had to see this show.  Seven months later that statement became a reality and my life would never be the same again. 

It wasn’t until much later that I would realize how much this show had changed my life.  From the small fact that I now have a much greater appreciation for peace signs and hippies.  Or that I try, usually unsuccessfully, to be more peaceful in my own life.  To be more understanding towards people, hold less grudges, all of the good things a hippie should do.  However, old habits are hard to break and it is still a struggle to do these things. 

The biggest change though is my love of Broadway.  As seen through my yearly views of the Tony Awards with my mom and sisters, I have always loved theatre.  Anytime I get to go and see a show, especially a musical, I am one happy girl.  However, after seeing HAIR this love was increased infinitely.  It opened the door for me to have a passion, something that I care about and can focus my attention on.  Besides schoolwork and a job which can be boring and mundane.  It allowed for me to have a creative outlet and the ability to fall in love with something.

I can’t pinpoint exactly what it is that made HAIR the show that changed my life.  Maybe it was the fact that it was the first show I ever saw on Broadway, a lifelong dream of mine. That I already knew some of the songs since they had become popular on their own. Or that the storyline is so powerful causing it to be the first show that truly touched my heart.  All I know is that each time I listen to the soundtrack I am transported back to the Al Hirchsfeld theatre, watching the storyline unfold for the first time, and I am overcome by pure joy.  To this day 'Let The Sunshine' is one of the only songs that can bring tears to my eyes every time I listen to it.  It is the only show that I have ever seen that caused me to cry more the second time I saw it then the first.  Partially because I was so full of joy by being able to see it again, and partially because I knew what was going to happen at the end. (I bawled like a baby for at least the last fifteen minutes of the show. Big fat, ugly tears).  Something about it simply changed my life and it means so much to me.

It is hard for me to put into words how much HAIR means to me.  I can never find the right words to say, words that accurately portray its importance to me and to my life.  This post doesn’t even come close to doing it justice, it barely scratches the surface.  I simply wanted to do something special to recognize its importance to me on its 44th anniversary.

Happy Anniversary HAIR, you changed my life.

Concert Hangover*

*Thanks for Coral for discovering the diagnosis.

Never heard of a concert hangover?  Don’t think they exist?  You would be wrong.

The Burrow had the pleasure of seeing Sleeperstar three times in April and each time we saw them I fell a little bit more in love.  Each concert reminded me why they are one of my favorite bands.  They put on an amazing concert, that is full of energy from start to finish, and they are literally some of the sweetest people you will ever meet.  The 25^th was the last show for the month, and my tenth time seeing them in 2 years, and we endured A LOT to get there.  From Carmen, my car, breaking down and not being able to find a ride.  To finally resorting to renting a car 2 hours before the concert, that was an hour away without traffic, and skipping dinner because of the time crunch.  Of course once we got to the concert all of the trouble and stress was worth it, because it was amazing and we had so much fun, but the next morning was another story.

Luckily I have never had a hangover, but I imagine this is what they feel like.  The Burrow woke up and we just felt icky (yes that is the technical term).  We felt nauseous and our bodies hurt all over.  To say the least it was a rough morning and I never want to experience a concert hangover* again.  However it I ever do experience a concert hangover again we have found the cure, and hopefully these tips can help you as well.

*I am aware that feeling bad was not a result of the concert.  Instead it was from the lack of nutrition the day before, the elevated stress of getting to the concert, and only a few hours of sleep.  It is just more fun my way.

1. A shower or bath, whichever you prefer.

2. Lunch.

3. And last but most definitely the most important…drum roll please…MORE SLEEPERSTAR*

        -This may be in the form of listening to their music, reading their tweets or blog, watching their videos,  or creating a tumblr for them.  Continue the dosage of more Sleeperstar* throughout the day for the most effective results.

*You can substitute you own favorite band.

We are the cutest.

#10 is only 4 show away.

#10 was a great success.  Can't until #100.

Ugly Cry

I went into a professors office to turn in a test, which I didn’t feel confident in, and as I was about to leave he said “being mad at me isn’t going to help your cause.”  As I turned around to tell him I wasn’t mad at him I proceeded to have a meltdown.  I mean full on ugly cry, it was not attractive.  It was a combination of being tired and the stress of the day.  I calmed myself down enough to leave and go get myself a treat and I now that I have had time to think, I realize that I may not have been mad at him but I am mad at a bunch of things.  I think that if I write them down and actually think about them it will help in the process of forgiving, or at least forgetting.

• I am mad at the stupid girls who ruined my senior year.  The girls who think they are all that and everyone falls down at their feet to make them happy.  The girls who create drama out of nothing and go on with their lives like nothing happened while you pick up the pieces of yours.
• I am mad at the people who start to talk to after four years and then all of a sudden start ignoring you.
• I am mad at the so called “experts” at businesses who treat you like a child who knows nothing.  Then in the end they never fix your problem.
• I am mad at my doctor for not giving me medicine for my headaches, which I experience on an almost daily basis.  Which I am experiencing now and I am in excruciating pain.
• I am mad at the fact that I have a best friend who is a year older than me.  This means she isn’t here to help me through my shitty senior year. (Of course she does everything she can from where she is).  Did I mention she also lives at the bottom of Texas, while I live on the top?
• I am mad at the fact that one of my other best friends is moving back to New York in two short months, and I don’t know when I will see her again.
• I am mad at professors who don’t teach you anything, but expect you to become an expert of the topic and pass the test.
• I am mad that I don’t have a passion in life.  This means I have no idea what I will be doing once I graduate.
• I am mad at myself for becoming so frustrated when I know I didn’t do as well on something as I could have. 
• I am mad at myself for not having enough faith in myself. (I did great on my test!!!)
• I am mad at my body for not letting me sleep.  For taking so long to fall asleep and once I do fall asleep waking up every couple of hours.

Of course for the most part I don’t think about these things or let them get me down.  However, I think sometimes you need to just have a big ugly cry about everything before you can continue on.  Of course, it is better if you have this ugly cry in the privacy of your own home…not your professors office.