WHY OH WHY OH WHY is a night person working a 7am job? "Good freaking morning" is the best I can do...

I'm in a bit of a slump recently (or perhaps its more a panic). I've officially been out of school for eight months now. I haven't practiced in so long I can't remember (oh wait, I sang my something-or-other off the week before the Magnificat), have no immediate plans for any auditions. I want so badly to be doing a show this summer. I'm not sure if I can audition asking for a week off in the middle of the run to go to my sister's wedding. So is it better to just put it off for a while? I fear if I put it off much longer I'll stay out permanently. I don't want to look back over my life and regret that I never tried...Oh, yeah, except for singing for Renee Flemming in the end of January....(hence the panic). I know I've been saying I'm going to sing for her for a long time...but this time the tickets are bought, and it's too late to back out now........ARRRRRGHGHG!

I saw a picture of myself from the christmas party....boy do I need to start working out. Somehow my self image is still stuck in high school eating disorder mode, and thinks I weigh 100 pounds. When I see actual pictures I tend to panic. Sure, I'm rather thin-ish, but from the lack of working out combined with sitting around all day for at least one of my jobs (I do walk a LOT for my other) I ...... lack definition. There's a good way to put it. Being in singer mode for four years was a GREAT excuse not to work out. "Don't lift weights, you'll start grunt reflexing! Don't do sit ups, you'll tighten muscles that need to be loose to breathe!" Except for a rather long stint of yoga. I think I must go back to it. Nice work out, not a lot of sweating and spitting and huffing.....Must not eat chocolate chip muffins for breakfast, must drink water! (Actually, having been on that pseudo-diet with Andrea for months, I've not been craving a lot of Pepsi recently. I think I only had one last night at work -- yay for abstaining!)

I'm taking a break to go refil my water bottle....

GACK! I've never ben a "water bottle snob." This is terrible water back to back. Almost sweet. Ah well, for the sake of clear skin and, you know, health I can do it......ack ack ack...

We had the most atrocious people in the restaurant last night! They came in hours before we open with about a dozen children who'd been cooped up in planes and cars all day. The parents couldn't remember exactly how many children they'd brought with them, and so kept re-rering until poor Wendy was going out of her mind. They were screaming, knocking over the display train, touching the gingerbread sign less-than-subtly labled "DO NOT TOUCH" and running into the bar and the tennis club party in the other room. I hid in the bar for most of the carnage. Then the parents came in, and how I longed for the children. Their table was reset, and reset again. "One long one, no two round ones!" "17 people, no 10 and 8 children, no 12 and 4 kids, and two highchairs, and a booster seat......" and on and on. They belched. One self styling actress bored us to TEARS with her performance of the Vagina Monologues (not the play itself, just her commentary on how groundbreaking it is....hasn't that show been out FOREVER now?).....ack! Waited a while and the water is still bad....Anyway, I was laughing at Wendy's bad luck to have to deal with them, and I was beckoned with "Oh, Nurse..." I was in shock. I actually went to the table and took his order (the belcher). They left me a slight tip, but they had a huge bill. The matriarch wouldn't speak above a whisper, nor request anything with actual words....."Excuse mblblblb....I'd like some mbmbmbmbmbmbl (indistinct gesture in the general direction of her wineglass)." Oh yes, they were peachy!

Everyone, check out THIS new blog I've found. He's apparently started a book deal off his blog, and I've found the website at least to be very entertaining. It's nice to know that people with performance careers can be "real people."

I had posted a rather long rant about the information on this website. While looking online for more information (and some definitions) on this article, I have found several other websites of people who think this article MUST be a hoax. This website hopes that it is a hoax, but isn't sure. Some of the links in the site seem to be geniune. Some seem to be conglomerations of Saturday Night Live Sketches. I'll keep poking around. What do you think? Real or not?

A woman goes to the post office to buy stamps for
her Christmas cards.

She says to the clerk, "May I have 50 Christmas stamps?"
The clerk says, "What denomination?"

The woman says, "God help us. Has it come to this? Give me 6 Catholic,
12 Presbyterian, 10 Lutheran and 22 Baptists.

I want to take this moment to do a plug for my favorite bookshop in the world, the inspiration for my webpage, and the best resource for the collected works of Inkings Authors....The Inklings Bookshop. While searching for links to the Inklings, I came across their webpage, discovering that they also provide online sales. Please do your book shopping with them, instead of with large scale franchises! Small bookstores are going out of business right, left, and center -- and I'd really like to keep this one around!

..We now interrupt this Lord of the Rings tribute (extended edition) to bring you another rant by Rachel...

I want to cry! I am too tired, and working too hard....the weather changed so of course that precipitates all sorts of lovely "face" issues -- girls, you know what I mean...that dry skin, deathlike palor until your skin adjusts again..Why is it that wet weather makes your skin dry out?

So two days ago, my plan for this weekend was to: work, finish my dress, Sunday night run to Santa Barbara for some shoes and tights, and after work monday get a manicure and rest....Today my schedule has been amended to: work, finish dress, maybe take short nap...or perhaps even: work, go home and determine that dress is good enough as is, take 3 hour nap then pull self together for party....right now that sounds pretty good to me...

I am soooooooooooooo tired. I was supposed to have today off completely except for the company party, then someone at work just 'had' to switch shifts. I'll stop whining one of these days.

Chapter Seven

Pippin finds Gandalf, and tells him of Denethor's plan to burn himself and Faramir in the crypt. Gandalf rushes to the tombs to stop him. Some of the King's men are trying to follow the orders and start the fire, others are trying to stop them. Several men have already killed each other. Denethor is clutching one of the remaining palantir and defies Gandalf, saying that he will not live to see the throne he has been steward over be handed to an upstart and a usurper, even if he is from the line of Isildur. He claims that Gandalf has been playing them all like pawns in order to gain the rule of middle earth for himself. (It seems also to suggest that, like with Theoden, Saruman may be posessing Denethor for a while). Gandalf tries to pursuade him that he will not lose any honor by relinquishing the kingdom. He jumps on the pyre and rescues Faramir, still unconscious, whose garments have been soaked with oil for the fire. Gandalf tries once more to reason with Denathor, but he grabs a torch and lights the fire, jumps onto the pyre clutching the palantir and dies. Gandalf sends Faramir to the infirmary with Pippen. Later, he and Pippen look out over the battlefield at all who have fallen. Gandalf sends Pip to guard Faramir, and goes himself to meet 'those who are coming.'

Chapter Six. Oy. If you don't want to ruin at least half the plot of the movie, stop reading now. I'm going to continue to summarize.

The Lord of the Nazgul realizes he is defeated and vansihes. King Theoden rides to battle against the Southorn men. In the midst of the fight, the Nazgul reappears, mounted on those flying creatures. Durnhelm and Merry are not far behind him. His horse is wounded, and Theoden falls. The Nazgul is letting his creature eat Theoden's horse when Durnhelm challenges it. He laughs and declares that no man has ever hindered him. Durnhelm replies that he is not a man, takes of his helmet, and (duh) reveals a head of blond hair. Eowyn has joined the battle after all. The creature attacks, and she fends it off, cutting off its head. The Nazgul brings down his mace and shatters her shield, breaking her arm. Merry rallies his courage, takes his sword and stabs the Nazgul in the back, allowing Eowyn to cleave the Nazgul's head from its shoulders. Her sword shatters, and Merry's dissappears.

Theoden regains consciousness and sees Merry. He tells him that he wishes to speak to Eomer (remember, cool blonde guy with the flowing helmet). He declares that Eomer is to be king of Rohan. He tells Eomer to send a message to Eowyn telling her of his death. Theoden dies. Eomer gives orders for Theoden's body to be carried from the plain, and turns and sees his sister's body lying nearby. Imrahil, Prince of Dol Amroth sees the procession, and declares that Eowyn is still living, but just barely. She is sent to the infirmary. Merry is left behind, his right hand numb from when his elf blade stabbed the Nazgul.

The battle is once again turning against the combined armies when they see the ships of the corsairs coming. They dispair. Then, Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas come bounding (especially in Legolas' case) out of the ship leading a whole host of the Dunedain, Rangers of the North. So the battle is won, every enemy is slain, and the three Princes...Aragorn, Eomer, and Imrahil are united.

Chapter Five

Merry is still riding with the mysterious rider and the host of Rohan. Theoden is in counsel with a wild man to determine the best way to approach Gondor unexpectedly. They decide on a footpath, that leads through an orc wall. The wall was destroyed, and there was no ambush. They discover along the trail the body of the messenger who was sent to them from Gondor. He never made it back to tell Denethor that Rohan was coming to aid them. As they draw closer to Gondor, Sauron's dark magic almost makes them lose hope, but the light from Gandalf's staff beams through the air 'piercing the darkness' and hope is restored. Rohan makes a grand entrance into the battle.

Chapter Four

Pippin is still in Gondor. The forces are gathering around the city. Denethor, Boromir and Faramir's Father, berates Faramir for the way he mishandled the situation with Frodo and the Ring (Remember, in the book Faramir tells Frodo that even if it fell in the gutter, he would not reach out a hand to pick it up -- the only complaint I have in the movie!). Denethor tells Gandalf that He would have been strong enough to keep the ring and not use it, for his strength is greater than Gandalf. Gandalf replies that it might be so, but he refused the ring even when offered to him. Gandalf and Pippin hear news that Frodo and Sam have made it that far at least. Mordor is unleashed upon Gondor. The fighting begins, and there are not enough men. Denethor sends Faramir out to battle without blessing. Faramir is injured and brought back. Denethor realises how poorly he has treated his son, and his mind breaks. He orders his servants to carry them both to the tombs and set fire to them. Pippin rushes off to find Gandalf to make him stop the suicide. Gandalf is fighting off The Lord of the Nazgul when a horn sounds and the Riders of Rohan come in the last hour.