Hey Pancreas!

Well, I've been majorly slacking in the past week or so on blogging. It's sad that it is Diabetes Awareness Month and I'm slacking, but my only excuse is that I've been sick for about a week. I was out of work on World Diabetes Day and had to make a lovely visit to the doctor to get some meds. I even lost my voice that day! Crazy.

I'm only now getting back to myself. As a peace offering to my lovely readers, I offer you this amazingly hilarious video. My best friend shared it with me and I laughed so much! I posted it on my Facebook page last night and I know it's already making the rounds in the D-OC, but for those of you who've missed it so far, I wanted to give you another chance to see it.

Don't laugh to hard. And try not to get the song stuck in your head. :)

Meeting Crystal

About two weeks ago, Crystal Bowersox (last season’s runner up on American Idol, and fellow T1 diabetic) tweeted that she would be performing at the Bluebird Café in Nashville on February 26th. Knowing that the Bluebird is a very small venue, I immediately went to their website and saw that tickets were only $10 (plus a food/drink minimum). With that price & that size of venue, I knew I’d do whatever I could to be there.

The reservations became available last Monday and I stalked the internet site (continually clicking refresh) until I could reserve a table for two. I wasn’t sure who would be going with me, but I wasn’t going to go alone, and I was sure I’d find someone to go with me. Strangely enough, I only had 1 person (locally) respond to my request for someone to attend with me. Everyone seemed to be busy or too far away.

I’d never been to the Bluebird Café before last Saturday night. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Bluebird, it is basically a singer/songwriter showcase. It’s very small and has a “listening room” type policy. Basically, it’s the person, and their guitar (or other instrument of choice) performing their music. It’s very well known in the music industry. It has a ton of history and some amazing performances have happened there.

From the first time I heard Crystal perform on American Idol, I loved her voice. Finding out that she was a Type 1 diabetic made me love her even more. There’s just something about the d-connection that makes you root for a person. During her Idol run, I posted two open letters to her. I’m sure she never read them, but it was a way to get my thoughts out.

Amy T from Diabetes Mine ended up getting an incredible interview with her. Even then, I knew I’d love to meet Crystal. If for nothing more than to tell her that I think she’s amazing. And Saturday night I ended up standing in the same room, less than 6 feet from her.

First off, diabetes aside, Crystal (and her husband, Brian Walker, who also performed) is amazingly talented. She’s also amazingly funny and good natured. She came right out and said she didn’t have a set list, so part way through the performance, she basically started taking suggestions from the audience. She did a great mix of songs from her album (which you should GO BUY!), songs that are her’s but weren’t on the album, and covers of songs (some of which she performed on American Idol).

She talked about her first time performing at the Grand Ole Opry, which was totally impromptu the night before. She talked about being star struck by Vince Gill. It was kind of like listening to one of your friends telling you a cool story about something that happened to them. Crystal Bowersox gives down-to-earth a whole new meaning.



But, the diabetes was there too. I could see her diabetes tattoo on her wrist while she played her guitar. And before she came up on stage, she and her husband were sitting in the corner, not far from me. I couldn’t see them because of the way the wall was, but I heard the familiar “shunk” of a lancet device. I wasn’t listening for it. But I heard it. It’s a sound you can’t mistake when you’ve been hearing that sound for so many years.

Afterwards, Crystal stayed to sign autographs and take pictures. I tried not to go completely “12 year old stalker” on her. I tried to be normal. But I did tell her that the D-OC loves her. And I asked to see her tattoo (it’s beautiful by the way). I just wish I’d had enough sense about me to ask to get a picture of it.

I also managed to get her into trouble with her husband. :) I asked if she had a CGM. She told me she did, but didn't have on a sensor at the moment. I told her I didn't either (apparently we were both taking a break). But Brian was standing behind her and heard her say that and he said, "You don't have a sensor in? Why not?" :) She did ask me if I liked mine. I told her I loved it and told her about putting them on my thighs instead of my stomach (less brusing for me). Maybe I actually shared something with her that could help? That would be pretty awesome.

Meeting Crystal was pretty amazing. She’s an extremely talented songwriter, an amazing muscian and singer, and a very strong woman living with diabetes. I’m glad to say that I was able to meet her. Thanks, Crystal, for being so kind to all of your fans. I know it meant a lot to me, as I’m sure it did the others who were there.

Diabetes: The Musical?

Those who know me, know my obsession with all things theater. In fact, I felt so bad about my theater posts on my diabetes blogs, I broke down and started a blog that is solely dedicated to theater. When I started that blog, I kind of promised myself that I wouldn’t “bore” my diabetes readers with my theater posts on this blog.

And here I am, just a few months later, breaking that promise already. But since this theater post involves diabetes all the way, I figured my readers would forgive me. About two weeks ago I saw a Twitter post that came from TuDiabetes. In that post there was a link to an article that totally blew my mind. Someone had written a musical about Type 1 diabetes. A musical called Andy & the Beats. Wow. Not only had it been written, they were putting on a production. And the most amazing part? It was in Knoxville, Tennessee.

As with any diabetic, my first, knee-jerk, reaction was to be wary of a musical written about diabetes. How “wrong” would it be? Was it a joke? A comedy of errors? A random person’s attempt at making a joke of this disease we live with every day? I think most of us can understand a reaction like that. We deal with media misconceptions on a daily basis. Those of us in the diabetes online community spend out time trying to education and inform, often running into brick walls of ignorance over and over again.

The initial article put me completely at ease because the writer of this musical, Andy Rogers, is living with Type 1 diabetes. So is his sister. Knowing that, my excitement took over and I started researching when and where this musical was going to be performed, and how I was going to make the time to be there.

There were only four performance times, admission was free with all donations going to benefit JDRF. While I was researching this show, I found Andy’s research paper online. Those of you who have ever written a research paper, or read one, know how boring they can be. This one was not. I read all 52 pages. And I cried. This was a story. It was the story of Andy and his sister. It was the story of their family and diabetes. Sure, there were the scientific parts, and the “technical” parts. But this research paper was a story that made me even more sure that Andy Rogers had written a special show that would education, inform, and entertain.

Sunday evening I arrived over an hour early. I’m not terribly familiar with the Knoxville area, and even less familiar with the University of Tennessee campus, so I wanted to be sure I got there in plenty of time. From posts on the Andy & the Beats facebook page, I knew that they had to turn away people from one of the performances, and that they had had a full house at the others. I was going to have a seat. And hour early was a good bet. I was the first person in line.

Being the first in line didn’t last long. Within 20 minutes there was a line all the way down the sidewalk. When they opened the house, Andy was at the door and you could see the amazement all over his face. Even though (from what I understood) they’d had full crowds every time. I knew with that kind of reaction from him, and the crowd size, that this show was going to be great.

And great it was. Andy Rogers played a 12 year old Andy who developed Type 1 diabetes after a virus attacked him. The Beats were 3 singing, dancing… well, I’m not exactly sure what they were other than maybe Andy’s guides to having diabetes. Regardless, they were fantastic. Played by Lauren Fitzgerald, Brooks Morelock, and Jessica Hunter, they made Andy’s transition into diabetes… well, kind of entertaining.

Andy was a healthy, happy 12 year old boy and then is attacked by Virus, played by James McGuire. The Beats show up to help Andy by explaining Type 1 diabetes and its symtoms to him and the audience in “The Symptoms Song.”

Andy’s mother takes him to a Dr. Arfaee, played with great comedy by Tina Arfaee. At one point she stabs an orange in Andy’s hand with a syringe. And when I say stabs, I mean STABS. :) How many of us remember learning to give a shot on an orange? *silently raises hand* The title of the song she sings while she stabs that orange: “Your New Friend, Insulin.” I laughed my head off during the entire song.

Andy’s mother, played by Martha Reddick, is very disturbed by the fact that her son can’t be “fixed” by a pill or a shot. Andy ends up in a conversation with his Pancreas, also played by James McGuire. Andy’s Pancreas is angry. So is Andy. They both want to know why this happened to them (sound familiar anyone?).

When they can’t figure out why, Andy starts searching for a cure. Stem-cell transplants, pancreas transplants, etc. It touches on all the reasons why they are still in research stages, or not good for a “healthy” person with diabetes. Andy then searches to make his own cure. After all, he’s a smart boy. When his “cure” fails, he becomes frustrated and sad.

In comes Campbell, another young person living with diabetes. Campbell is played by Campbell Garver, a child actually living with diabetes. Campbell lets Andy know he’s not alone and introduces him to other children with diabetes. Andy Rogers wisely, and beautifully used all children living with diabetes (a full list of names will be listed below).

The final song “Walk for the Cure” left me in tears. Obviously written for the JDRF Walk(s) to Cure Diabetes, the beauty wasn’t in the words (though they were beautiful in their own right), it was in the children singing those words. All I could think as I sat there was that I have just celebrated 25 years living with diabetes. And all I could do is cry and pray that these children don’t have to live for 25 years with diabetes. That there will be a cure before they reach that “milestone”.
Andy Rogers did a wonderful job writing this musical. It’s informative, funny, a little snarky at times, touching, and it pulls at your heart strings. Even though the show has closed, I can’t help but hope that Andy has a way of keeping this show alive. Maybe local communities could do their own productions of the show? I believe that it should be done at Children’s Congress as well. Families affected by diabetes would LOVE this show.

Type 1 Diabetic Children:

-Campbell Garver

-Amanda Minutolo

-Autumn Barnett

-Natalie Olson

-Gwendolyn Dolenee

-Gavin Bentley

-Rachel Bentley

-Quinntin Bentley

-Catrina Estes

-Russell England

-Addysun Seaton-Camfield

-Dylan Green

-Riley Shover

-Ryan Hopkins

-Kelli Rogers

Christmas Beauty

There are so many things I love about this time of year. I love snow (when it doesn't interfere with my plans!). I love family gatherings. I love buying presents for people. I love giving and receiving Christmas cards. I love seeing children get excited about Santa and Christmas break.

Sure, there are totally annoying parts about Christmas, like feeling obligated to buy presents for people you don't know well or don't like, and dealing with the family drama that seems to come around the holidays when we are forced to spending time with family we don't normally see. There's the commercialization of the holidays that I think is a total travesty.

But overall, Christmas means so much to me. Christmas takes me back to the roots of my Christian faith. Christmas is the day that God sent His Son, my Saviour, into the world to be an eternal atonement for my sins. Christmas celebrates the start of a journey that would end in my ability to have a way to Heaven.

I think my favorite part of Christmas is the abundance of praise music that fills our ears. In all other times of the year, music that showers Him with praise is rare to hear in a secular world. But around Christmas, we hear songs like Jingle Bells and Santa Clause is Coming to Town...and right in between them, and on either side we hear O Holy Night, and Go Tell it on the Mountain. We hear Hark! The Herald Angles Sing and Silent Night.

Many people simply look at these songs at Christmas songs. I look at them for what they are: Praise. Praise to God. Praise to His Son. And a chance for me to sing praise music in public without people looking at me like I've lost my mind.

So in celebration of Christmas and the meaning I hold deep in my heart for my favorite holiday, I wanted to share my favorite Christmas song.

Music Monday: Thanksgiving Parade

My favorite part of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade every year is the performances from the shows on Broadway. This year, my current favorite show, American Idiot, performed "Good Riddance" which is the song they do during the encore of the show. Here's a YouTube clip... enjoy!

Music Monday: Lauren Pritchard

My obsession with all things Broadway led me to a new musical discovery. Lauren Pritchard, who's actually from Tennessee. She was in the original Broadway cast of Spring Awakening, and now she's just released an album called Wasted in Jackson. So far, the hard copy is not available in the United States, but the digital is on iTunes and other music outlets.

She's something different and I thought I'd share it with you. Enjoy. :)

Already...

...hitting my pathetic attempts at blog posting. And it isn't even half-way through the month yet. Oh, boy. This should bode well for the rest of November, huh? :)

One of my favorite bands, Sugarland, just put out a new CD a couple of weeks ago called The Incredible Machine. This is one of my favorite songs on the whole CD. But, like always, I pretty much love everything on the whole album.

Listen & Enjoy!

Apologies

I'm back....sort of. I've been working on finding inspiration for a couple of new blog posts. Lack of inspiration has been a major part of the reason I've been surprisingly quite in the online world. But, to help start my return to the online world.... I give you the funniest youtube video I've seen in a long time. :)

Music Monday: Needtobreath

Well, folks, another Music Monday is here. And I have a great group to share with you. :) In fact, I like their new album so much I've listened to it on repeat for the past several day. (I keep thinking I'll get tired of it. I don't.)

Needtobreath. Yup, all one word. I am just recently discovering them, although they have been around for a while. The group is made up of two brothers and two of their college friends. Lead singer, Bear Rinehart and brother Bo Rinehart are the children of an Assembly of God pastor. They met friends Joe Stillwell and Seth Bolt in college.

Their latest album is what I have gotten hooked on. They stand right on the line of contemporary Christian, Southern rock, and modern day rock/pop. They have several obviously Christian songs on their album, but some are not. The song "Stones Under Rushing Water" is a beautiful love song (singer Sara Watkins of the bluegrass band Nickel Creek is featured). "The Outsiders" is an anthem to being different.

They have had songs included in several TV shows and movies (apparently they have a song in P.S. I Love You. I've not seen the movie, so I don't know which song) which only proves their overall appeal.

So, check them out. I don't think you'll be disappointed. I'm including three of my favorite songs in this post via YouTube.


The Outsiders: title track off the new album. Fantastic song.


Stones Under Rushing Water: sadly, Sara Watkins is not singing in this version.


Garden: Probably my favorite song on the whole album. Beautiful and meaningful in so many ways.

Late Music & Guest Blogging

This Music Monday post quickly became a Music Tuesday post because of my crazy busy day yesterday...

Liza Minnelli. Singer. Actress. Broadway great. Daughter of the great Judy Garland. Icon. Currently touring. One stop on her tour? Nashville. And I’ll be there. I spent an exorbitant amount of money for 2 tickets in the “nosebleed” section. Thankfully the nosebleed seats in Tennessee Performing Arts Center are still great seats.

Am I crazy? Maybe. But I go back to my post on why I love live theatre. You get to be in the same room with some amazing artists. And seeing Liza Minnelli was something I wasn’t going to miss if I could help it.

Next up on the to-do list….find someone to buy my second ticket from me so I have someone to go with me. :)

Also, I have TWO guest posts up right now. Two of our D-OC bloggers are on vacation and I was honored to be able to guest post for them.

Chris, over at The Life of a Diabetic, and Becky, at Instructions Not Included. Check their blogs out if you haven't already. Both are wonderful additions to our blogging community and fantastic people in general.

Enjoy!

Respect

I have expressed my love of music many times. I've also shared my love of all kinds of music with many of you. I am not terribly picky on music. To me, music is good if it touches a person. Some music touches more effectively than others. Sure, there are some types of music I favor more than others. And some that I try to avoid. But overall, I am a music lover for the sake of the story the music tells and the feelings that music can invoke.

That being said, I've been a semi-fan of Lady Gaga for a while. She's not my favorite, but sometimes there's nothing like a good Gaga song. :) She has made her way onto my Zune and I listen on a fairly regular basis.

On Friday, she was on the Today Show. I didn't see it when it aired, but thanks to the joys of YouTube and the internet, I got to see the performances. And I have to say, I admire her. And she earned top notch respect in my world.

Why? Well, not only does she put on a stellar performance, she also did something that you rarely see a super popular act do. She opened her performance of "Bad Romance" with part of the Gershwin classic "Someone To Watch Over Me".

Wow.

I have always felt that young people (and even some older people) are way too narrow minded in their taste of music. How many 16 year olds saw that performance and did a Google search on the song? Who knows? But it may just have introduced them to one of the greatest songwriters of all time.

There are performers and then there are people who are true artists. They recognize and respect all kinds of music. They understand that music developed into what it is today with the help of all different types of writers and singers. By performing a piece of a classic with one of her biggest hits, I believe that Lady Gaga paid respect to all types of music.

So, here it is, if you missed it. It was a truly spectacular performance.

Withdrawls

Hi. My name is Cara, and I'm a Glee-addict. It's been almost a month since my last (new) hit. In order to make it through the day, I'm sharing this with you. May we all survive until the fall.

Peel Me a Grape

Last week there was a small conversation happening on Twitter in regards to peeling grapes. Some people had never heard of peeling grapes. Others had. Personally, until a few years ago, I'd never heard of it. "Who'd want to peel a grape?" I thought to myself.
And then I heard the song "Peel Me a Grape" by Diana Krall. Actually, the song is quite old and has been sung by several different people. But I didn't discover the song until I bought The Very Best of Diana Krall
So, on this Music Monday, enjoy!

My Open Letter to Crystal Bowersox

Dear Crystal,

Tonight's the night. The finale. Honestly, you are the only reason I'm still watching this season. I would have quit long ago otherwise. Not that the contestants were talented enough; they were. The season's just kind of been boring. Except for you.

From the first time they showed you, you've been a bright point in the show. You're different. You had a distinct sound. You sing the kind of music I love. And you are super talented.

We share one thing in common....diabetes. When I found out (from fellow members of the diabetes online community) that you had a TuDiabetes page, I had to go check it out. When I found out it was true, I realized that you weren't just super talented. You were like me too.

Finding another person living with diabetes every day is always an adventure. As part of the diabetes online community (the D-OC, as we like to call it) gave me a way to connect with people who understood me and understood the things I dealt with every day.

When I found out you were in the hospital earlier this season, I was scared. Not that you would die. Or anything else absurd that many media outlets seemed to "report". I was scared because I know how bad I feel when I end up in the hospital. I know how it can zap my energy and life for days. And I know how that "diabetic hangover," as I like to call it, can make you want to do nothing but sleep for hours.

But you stuck it out. You sang that week anyway. And you blew us away. Part of me wonders what your blood sugar was on stage that day.

I thank you Crystal, for being a person living with diabetes that is actually LIVING. There are so many of us out here that feel like people think we can't do this, or eat that, or live life the way we'd like. But you are proving to millions of people that diabetes doesn't have to stop you.

I don't have a journalism degree. I don't write for a living. I don't have any media contacts or anything that even guarantees me that you'll ever read this blog post.

But if you do, and you wouldn't mind it, I'd like to interview you for my blog. I know there are many of us that would love to hear your story from your point of view. And I'd be honored to be able to be a D-OC blogger that got to do that.

And tonight, know that I'll be voting. Constantly. Because you deserve to be the next American Idol.

Sincerely,

Cara, fellow T1 since 1986.

American Idiot

When I first heard that there was a musical coming to Broadway that featured nothing but Green Day music, I called a good friend of mine, who I knew loved Green Day let her know we were going to have to plan a trip to New York. Then, after reading THIS review of the show, while it was still at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, I knew I had to see it when it came to Broadway.


American Idiot is based on the album of the same name by the band Green Day. I, myself, have never been a huge Green Day fan, although I liked several of their songs. Back in 2003, when most of the country was frustrated with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and many people were fed up with the running of our country, Green Day released their album American Idiot.
The album was a musical statement for the group, and many others, that spoke to their frustrations. It went on to win numerous awards, along with becoming a fan favorite.

The members of Green Day state that the album was written as a rock opera in the first place, so Broadway was the next step. They took the songs from American Idiot, along with some songs from their album 21st Century Breakdown and wrote the musical with help from Michael Mayer (of Spring Awakening fame).

The result is exactly what you would expect: A rock concert with a storyline.

There is no intermission in this 90 minute show, but you don't feel the need for one. From start to finish, there is very little dialogue, but the music and acting do a fair job of getting the point across anyway.

The choreography is shaky at times, but I got the distinct impression that it was supposed to be that way. And like the lack of dialogue, the choreography worked well for the production. It has a very similar feel to the choreography of Spring Awakening.

Sadly, Mary Faber, who played the role of Heather, was out the evening I saw the show. Libby Winters, her understudy, did a fantastic job filling her role. But that change kept me from seeing the complete Original Broadway Cast. Sigh.

Usually when I see a show, I can pick out one or two actors who seem to "steal the show." With American Idiot, the entire case is so talented that I can't single anyone out. Sure, there were the names that I knew already going in, like John Gallagher, Jr. and Rebecca Naomi Jones. And there were the people who had some great scenes and performances overall. But each and every person in the cast, including the ensemble members, was incredibly talented.

To prove that they don't just sing, act, and dance, at the final curtain call the entire cast picks up their guitars and they perform "Time of Your Life". This is one of my favorite Green Day songs ever and was the perfect ending to the show. Although I didn't take this myself, I've posted a video of it below. Check it out and you'll see what I mean. Sadly, "Time of Your Life" isn't on the cast recording. (Hey, if anyone important actually reads this... YOU NEED TO RECORD THAT AND RELEASE IT AS A SINGLE!)




Now I should note that I am a conservative person both by nature and politically. Some people might think that this show, the band, and the music would go against my conservative personality. But I have to say, I lived through this time in history (recent history, but still history) and was around the same age as the characters at the time this show would have taken place. I may not always agree, but I understand. I have had friends deal with drug addiction, unplanned pregnancy, and have had former high school classmates injured in war. I've seen people leave home trying to find themselves (heck, I did it too) only to come back home to the people that were there in the beginning. This show is for our generation. It portrays the lives many of us have led and are still leading.

My advice: if you get a chance to see American Idiot, DO IT.

Also, hang out afterwards. Nearly every member of the cast came out to sign autographs and pose for pictures.

Music Pick of the Week

This week's pick:

Glee: The Music, The Power of Madonna

My new motto: I wanna go live in Glee-land.

Cause in Glee-land....you have cool things happen......like this:

iPod Challenge: Part Deux

I hadn't done this in a while, so I thought I'd start it up again. A meme of sorts. :) Plus, I wanted to compare it to my list from last time. Oh, and just a disclaimer: I don't actually own an iPod. I have a Zune, which I love very, very much. It's just that everyone pretty much has an iPod. And I wanted a title that could be recognized.
So, put your iPod (or other mp3 player) on shuffle and list the first 25 songs that play....

1.) There's No Buisness Like "Show Business -from OBC of Annie Get Your Gun

2.) Just Might Make Me Believe -Sugarland

3.) Cold As You - Taylor Swift

4.) Friends - Band of Skulls (from the New Moon Soundtrack)

5.) Story of My Life - Bon Jovi

6.) Trani - Kings of Leon

7.) Crazy Ex-Girlfriend - Miranda Lambert

8.) Complicated - Carolyn Dawn Johnson

9.) I Thought She Knew - 'NSYNC

10.) One of These Nights - Eagles

11.) Let's Fall In Love - Rod Stewart (from the Great American Songbook collection)

12.) Long, Long Way From Home - Foreigner

13.) Does the Wind Still Blow in Oklahoma -Reba McEntire w/ Ronnie Dunn (from Brooks & Dunn)

14.) Leaving You - Nickelback

15.) Don't Rain On My Parade - Lea Michele from Glee Soundtrack

16.) God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You - 'NSYNC

17.) Last One Standing - Emerson Drive

18.) Big Blonde & Beautiful - Hairspray Original Broadway Cast

19.) Cold Desert - Kings of Leon

20.) Endless Helpless Hoping - Josh Gracin

21.) Woke Up This Morning - Nickelback

22.) The Way You Look Tonight - Rod Stewart (from the Great American Songbook collection)

23.) All I Wanted Was a Car - Brad Paisley

24.) Time With You - Billy Currington

25.) The Woman With You - Kenny Chesney


The only justification on any of these songs is my 'NSYNC. My only excuse is that I dug them out to try to cling to my youth. At least I didn't break out the Britney. :P

So, join me. Try this for yourself. And give me some suggestions. I'm always about widening my musical horizons.

Mamma Mia!

Theatre Thursday is here again folks! Lately I've been to see several shows, so I should have a Theatre post for the next few weeks in a row.

Back before Christmas my mother and I watched Mamma Mia!, the movie. We both thought it was thoroughly cheesy and we both loved it (If you know us, you'd know that both thoughts are completely possible at the same time...).

Through my wealth of useless knowledge about all things Broadway related, I knew that Mamma Mia! the Broadway touring production was coming to the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (further known at TPAC) in the spring of 2010. Immediately, my mind went to Christmas gifts, and what a great gift it would be to take my mom to see the show.

My mother has never been to New York. She's never seen a Broadway show before. But she spent a lot of time growing up doing plays at school and singing show tunes in choir. In fact, she sang me more show tunes than lullabies when I was a child. She is basically the reason I love musical theatre so much.

After confirming that I could get tickets before Christmas, I knew right away that's what I was going to do. I also purchased the movie, unwrapped it (and let's be completely honest, I watched it, too) and put the tickets inside the DVD case.

She was thrilled when she opened her Christmas present. And I knew that I'd not only get to hang out with my mom (which I don't do nearly enough anymore), but I'd also get to see a show. And what's better than a show? Sharing it with people you love, of course!

This is a few weeks ago now, so I figured it's time for the theatre critic in me to come out. First of all, I'd like to say that both my mom and I, along with a great friend of mine that went with us, had a fantastic time. Second of all, I'd like to say the the show is every bit as cheesy and fantastic as the movie. Actually, a little more fantastic, just because it's live theatre and not a movie.

Mamma Mia! has been on Broadway for several years now. It's currently playing in the Winter Garden Theatre (where Cats was for so many years!). The poster even says "The Global Smash Hit". And it really is global. The show currently has productions in London, New York City (of course), Norway, and Mexico. There is also a North American Tour, an International Tour, a Dutch Tour, a Spanish Tour, and an Australian Tour. Whew! If that doesn't say "Global Smash Hit", I don't know what does.

Now, onto my review:

For those of you who have never seen the movie or the musical, I'll give a brief synopsis. The show is about a young woman, Sophie, who is about to get married. She has been raised by her single mother, Donna, never being told about her father. In her desire to meet her father, she discovers that her mother doesn't even know who it is; there are three possibilities.

So, without Donna's knowledge, Sophie invites all three men to her wedding, hoping to discover who her true father is.

Of course, hilarity ensues, especially upon the arrival of Donna's old friends Tanya and Rosie, and her three ex-beau's, whom she's not seen in twenty years.

Throughout it all, Sophie learns that family is what you make it, and Donna learns that sometimes it's okay to ask for help and that love doesn't always go away.

And the greatest part of the show: every single song is an ABBA song. I wasn't born when ABBA was popular, but like most people (at least people with good taste in music ;)...) I've learned many ABBA songs over the years. And I can assure you that nearly every song that you would know by ABBA is in this show, from the title track, Mamma Mia, to Dancing Queen. There are 22 total songs in the show, and I knew about 80% of them going in.

All the actors and actresses did a good job, but Rachel Tyler, who played the role of Tanya, and Kittra Wynn Coomer, who played the role of Rosie, stole the show. Their comedic timing was impeccable and they were probably the most talented of all the actors and actress in the show.

So, is Mamma Mia! the greatest musical ever written? No way. Not by a long shot. But it's fun, and funny, and is something even a non-musical lover could enjoy, if for nothing more than the songs. There seemed to be a large number of women enjoying the show with friends, especially women who were young during the ABBA reign. And I know that I enjoyed every second of it.

Elliott Yamin

Diabetes and Music Monday meet.

Elliott Yamin was on American Idol a few years ago. He was one of my favorites and he finished third. He is also a Type 1 diabetic. I know a lot of people talk about how American Idol uses the back story to promote different people. Some people like it, some don't. You would think that having diabetes would make for a great story. But I don't recall hearing about Elliott having diabetes until almost the end of the season. And I watched EVERY EPISODE. He had already become one of my favorites, but after hearing that we had diabetes in common, it quickly sealed my love for Elliott.

He has worked some with JDRF that I know about and I'm sure he's done other things in relation to diabetes.

Last night I found out that Elliott was in Chile when the 8.8 earthquake hit. I read about it on some news site (I don't remember which). I immediately went to his Twitter feed. I found out that he had been tweeting consistently since the earthquake and was doing some interviews with different media outlets.

I also found out that he was running low on insulin. Very low. He stated on his twitter account that they had only planned to be in Chile through Sunday and that he hadn't brought much more insulin than that. (He has been traveling quite a bit in the past weeks, all over the globe.)

The thought that Elliott (or anyone for that matter) would be caught in situation like that brought fear to my heart.

Two different times he Tweeted about being low on insulin. Then, earlier today, he tweeted an SOS message asking media people who were traveling out of the country if there was any way he could go with them since he was running so low in insulin. Again, I was scared for him.

He tweeted that they were telling him they could leave Wednesday. Then Friday. Then they weren't sure.

All I could think was that if he was running that low on insulin, he wouldn't make it to Wednesday or Friday.

Just a little while ago (around 5 CST), he tweeted that he was now doing okay on insulin and there was no need to worry.

I sighed in relief.

Knowing he had insulin made me a little more calm

I know some people may say "Why would you get so upset about someone you'd never met?" My only answer is that I can only imagine the fear that I would be feeling. The panic that would set in, if I were in that situation. I realize that in the event of any natural disaster, a lot of people can die from lack of medical care. But people think about lack of medical care regarding injuries, most of the time. They don't think about lack of medical care in regards to people with chronic illness. Elliott just put a face on that.

I wish Elliott a safe rest of his time in Chile, and a safe and speedy trip back to the States.

Lesson: Always pack extra times 3

Statement: Never yell at me for packing waaaaayyyy too much stuff when I got on vacation. There's a reason I have a suitcase big enough for myself to fit in....

NDD-My Non-Diabetic Day Post

Music is a huge part of my life. Am I talented? Nope. I sing in the shower, in my car, and in my head pretty much all the time. But I'm not talented. Only obsessed. :)
Being from Tennessee, I have a great love for country music. But my love of music is not confined to one type of music. I often joke I have the most spastic playlist ever. I tend to go through phases.
For a while, I was on an 80's rock band kick. I started buying greatest hits albums from the 80's and the late 70's.
I've gone through a cabaret-type of phase, listening to Harry Connick, Jr, and Frank Sinatra, and anything by Gershwin.
I've also gone through (and to some degree am still going through) my Broadway phase.
But I like all kinds of music. I listen to alternative, country, rock, teeny-bopper, Broadway, easy-listening, praise, contemporary Christian, and nearly anything else you can think of.
Today, in fact, I got a Veggie Tales' song stuck in my head. :) Does anyone know the Cheeseburger Song??? :)
I've always said, if I had talent, I would have done something with music. I wake up with a song in my head. People can say a word or a phrase and a song that goes with it will pop into my head.
And I can always find a song for every situation. Every time of my life, every event, has a soundtrack of sorts in my head. I have a playlist to fit almost every mood. And music can fit a mood, an expression, an idea or a moment in ways that nothing else can.
So, while you watch the lovely Cheeseburger Song music video (oh, you know you want to!), think about what types of music you like, or how music has shaped you or effected you. And then comment! :)
Hope everyone has a lovely NDD post.