Instructions to the Audience, from “The Frogs”
(by Stephen Sondheim)

Please don't cough.
It tends to throw the actors off.
Have some respect for Aristophanes
And please
Don't cough.

Please don't squeak.
We haven't oiled the seats all week.
You wouldn't want to miss a single word of Greek,
It's hard enough for us to hear each other speak
So please,
Don't squeak.

If you see flaws, please,
No loud guffaws, please,
Only because, please,
There are politer ways.

As for applause, please,
When there's a pause, please,
Although we welcome praise,
The echo sometimes lasts for days…

(Days…days…days…days…)

But first

(Days…days…days…days…)

Don't take notes
To show us you know all the famous quotes.
And when you disapprove, don't clear your throats
Or throw your crumpled programs, coins and coats
Or tell your neighbor scintillating anecdotes.
And please, refrain
From candy wrapped in cellophane.

If we should get rhetorical,
Please don't curse.
Wait til it's allegorical,
And in verse!
If we should get satirical,
Don't take it wrong.
And if, by a sudden miracle
A tune should appear that's lyrical,
Don't hum along.

When we are waxing humorous,
Please don't wane.
The jokes are obscure but numerous…
We'll explain.

When we are waxing serious,
Don't squirm or laugh.
It starts when we act mysterious.
And if you're in doubt, don't query us.
I'll signal you when we're serious.
(It's in the second half.)

(Half…half…half…half…)

But first…
Please, don't swim.
The theater is a temple, not a gym.
We may be in the middle of a sacred hymn,
So please,
Don't swim.

Don't say, “What?”
To every line you think you haven't got.
And if you're in a snit because you've missed the plot
(Of which, I admit, there's not an awful lot),
Still don't
Say, “What?”

Do not intrude, please,
When someone's nude, please.
She's there for mood, please,
And mustn't be embraced.
If we are crude, please,
Don't sit and brood, please.
Let's not be too strait-laced –
The author's reputation isn't based
On taste.

So please, don't fart –
There's very little air and this is art.
And should we get offensive, don't lose heart.
Pretend it's just the playwright being smart.
Eventually we'll get to the catharsis, then depart.

But first
We start!

(Italics represent spoken lines. The repeated words in parentheses are chorus lines.)

Nabbed from and .

Green – 10
Greens are some of the most powerful and intelligent people in the aura spectrum. Greens are extremely bright. They process information and ideas quickly; jumping from steps one to ten. They do not like dealing with all the steps and details in between.

A project that is too detailed is tedious and boring for Greens . They prefer to develop an idea, organize a plan, and then delegate someone else to take care of the details.

Greens are very drawn to money, power, and business. These quick-thinkers are very organized and efficient. They write lists and efficiently check off the items on the list as they are completed. Greens recognize patterns and discover solutions very quickly.

When Greens are in their power, they can accomplish anything. They love to set goals and are determined to achieve them. Greens are “movers and shakers” when it comes to taking action. They are also typically the workaholics on the planet.

Greens are highly competitive and enjoy challenges. They thrive on taking risks. Gambling is common for Greens , especially if there is a potential for large winnings.

Being strong-willed, these powerful personalities are determined to have their own way, which they usually feel is the right way. A person is rarely able to win an argument with Greens .

Which means, I'm really stubborn and a control freak. Well, an exaggeration, perhaps.

But then,

Violet – 9
Violets are the inspirational visionaries, leaders and teachers who are here to help save the planet. Most Violets feel drawn to educate the masses, to inspire higher ideals, to improve the quality of life on the planet, or to help save people, animals and the environment.

All Violets have an inner sense that they are here to do something important, that their destiny is greater than that of the average person. Most Violets have felt this way since childhood. As children, many Violets imagined becoming famous, or traveling the planet, possibly joining humanitarian causes such the Peace Corp. Many of these charismatic personalities take on roles as leaders and teachers, while other Violets prefer to reach people through music, film or other art form.

Because this era is currently the “Violet Age,” any Violets who are not accomplishing what they came here to do are experiencing an inner “push” — even an inner “earthquake.” Inner forces seem to be shaking them up and pushing them to move into action, to fulfill their life purpose. Violets know they are here to do something significant. However, they aren't always sure what that something is or how to accomplish it.

Many Violets were taught as children that their dreams and aspirations were unrealistic, so they have lost touch with their original visions. It's important for Violets to reconnect with their life purpose and vision, and to take action. Otherwise they will always feel unfulfilled. They will always sense something is missing from their lives. Violets need to learn to slow down long enough to listen to their inner voice and to connect with their higher vision.

And sometimes, I

Red Overlay – 3
People are not born with a Red Overlay. A Red Overlay is usually added to the outer bands of the aura early on in life because the person felt a need for protection. While a Red Overlay can offer protection, it also can become a terrible burden to bear.

The two most common indications that a person is carrying a Red Overlay are either feelings of intense anger and rage, or continuous struggle and self-sabotage. If these people don’t eventually remove the Red Overlay from their aura, their protective shield will eventually become their prison.

People usually add a Red Overlay to their aura for one or more of the following reasons:

They have had a life-threatening situation at birth or at a young age, which caused them to perceive that they may die, or that the world was not a safe place. Examples of life-threatening situations can include birth complications, severe illness, choking, drowning or suffocating. Many people do not remember these incidents, and so the source of their anger or struggle remains a mystery to them. They frequently have feelings of dread or of impending disaster for reasons unknown to them.

People may also add a Red Overlay if they have been physically, emotionally or mentally abandoned or rejected. Red Overlays frequently appear in people who were unwanted children, adopted or separated from a parent at a young age. This can also apply to children who felt emotionally abandoned by a parent, even when the parent appeared to be physically present in the home.
The most obvious and traceable causes for Red in the aura are those cases in which people have been physically, emotionally or mentally abused. Children who have been sexually abused, physically beaten, or raised by alcoholic or verbally abusive parents usually feel that the world is an unsafe and undependable place and that protection is necessary for survival.

Red Overlays can even appear around children who felt emotionally or physically smothered or suppressed. They feel betrayed by the adults, who were supposed to love, nurture and protect them as children. Not everyone who felt abandoned by a parent has a Red Overlay, however. The experience had to be intense enough or serious enough to have threatened the emotional or physical survival instincts of the child.

It is important for people to remove their Red Overlay. However, most people will not release the Red Overlay as long as they continue to believe that life is not safe.

Do your own colors here.

Another net link from John, can be found here.

Even on my T1 it's not the fastest load in the world.

You've been warned.

Hey !
This is for you.

* * *

So yesterday in the city, we were talking about how our husbands had no appreciation of ballet in general, and The Nutcracker specifically, and I mentioned that there's an hilarious send up of The Nutcracker called The Hard Nut (actually I think I called it the cracked nut, but whatever).

It's a Mark Morris ballet, and there's a review of it at CultureVulture that really says more than I ever could.

Two main points:
It's both a parody and an homage of the classic ballet.
There are men in tutus, who dance on pointe.

Enjoy!

So, apparently, when you haven't posted to a blog in a while, and there's an RSS feed from it, into LJ, and then you post again, it goes back and grabs the weekly archives for the last month or so.

Sorry about the spam.
Not intentional.
Or controllable.

So, and I were chatting in the office, about creating a book blog, and then I realized that phpbb is really easy to install, and free, and such, so hey, we did that.

Come talk about books, movies, music, etc.

Electric Tangerine

That Christmas Queasy Feeling

Many people who've been reading my blog, or my OD or LJ posts, know I've been complaining about the following symptoms since the last week of November:

queasiness, esp. first thing in the morning & last at night
bouts of dizzyness and lightheadedness
unusual tiredness
a sudden inability to tolerate COFFEE or dairy
feeling mildly crampy

What I've only shared with a few folks, is that I'm also late in that distinctly female sense of the word. And I'm not talking a few days. I'm talking, my last visit from that little friend was 10/23.

So, considering the symptoms listed above, and other stuff, which I'm not listing here, our thought was, “Well, maybe I'm pregnant.” So we did tests. Three stick tests over the time period from 12/02 – 12/08 were all negative. I forced Kaiser into giving me an appoinment with my ob/gyn (an adorable old Egyptian guy who made sure all the instruments were warm, and chatted about gardening to put me at ease), and the results of that were “you look perfectly healthy”.

He gave me three choices:
1) Take progesterone to induce that montly visitor
2) Do nothing
3) Wait & see

We did the blood test. It, too was negative.
So for the moment we're back to “wait and see” and I'm trying to book an appointment with my GP because I just…I feel like there's SOMETHING going on. I mean, I live in my body every day, I know when things feel different.

In the meantime, that blood test was a week ago, and still no change in anything.

So, why am I sharing this complete lack of news? Because I need to feel like I'm not crazy, I guess. (Yeah, blatant sympathy plea), and because I've been so distracted, distant, and flakey lately, that I wanted to make just one explanation about WHY.

So, back to your normal days now.
Thanks for listening.

you are darkcyan #008B8B

Your dominant hues are green and blue. You're smart and you know it, and want to use your power to help people and relate to others. Even though you tend to battle with yourself, you solve other people's conflicts well. Your saturation level is very high – you are all about getting things done. The world may think you work too hard but you have a lot to show for it, and it keeps you going. You shouldn't be afraid to lead people, because if you're doing it, it'll be done right. Your outlook on life can be bright or dark, depending on the situation. You are flexible and see things objectively.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

…I mentioned earlier?

Well, you can find it here or you can subscribe to , which is the feed for the blog.

Questions can be answered in LJ or your own blog, or the comments at electrictangerine.

My LiveJournal 12 Days
My True Love gave to me…
12 barefootcellists a-gyrating.
11 bromiths a-ranting.
10 cyniths a-spamming.
9 gemgins a-yelling.
8 histoire68s a-waving.
7 kerroans a-tripping.
6 khanyars a-commenting.
5 light yellow komoss.
4 hugging lonespiritwolf2s.
3 Slovakian mysticmooses.
2 canary selandras.
And a zerimar in a pomelo tree.
Get gifts! Username:
Another fun meme brought to you by rfreebern.