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Cincinnati was the start of an important contract I like to call "Thank God Bandaids No Longer Cost $700 A Month:"
CIGNA Care has finally kicked in, and I am covered for health and dental. THANK GOD. The price difference was staggering. Granted, my prescriptions cost a little more, but they certainly don't add up to the thousands of dollars I'll be saving from now on. Well-played, Equity. Now please continue to employ me.
As a celebration of all things Health Insurance and travel day, we piled in a cab and saw The Hunger Games film. It was okay. As always, it wasn't as good as the book. I won't go into details in case some of you haven't read it... instead I'll give you this:
Sounds about right.
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The sun was shining... the tulips were blowing in the fields off the highway...
...Sarah and I were shopping at Nordstrom Rack... Spring had sprung.
We were thrilled to see this little beauty parked outside the stage door. No idea who it belonged to:
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Got an email from Durham! Our Fester mural got a new lightbulb:
Unfrosted, white, low-wattage bulb.
This is to be his standard look between holiday seasons.
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Cincinnati is apparently famous for its Chili:
Skyline chili is served over spaghetti with crackers and a ton of cheese. Sara Gettelfinger surprised me with some at the theatre (she's a local). It was like pasta with really tasty meat sauce, except that there were no tomatoes. I liked it, but I still prefer a spicy chili that's full of beans.
Sara later surprised me with a slice of chocolate peanut butter banana bread cake. It was the size of my head and it was delicious. I don't have a picture because it didn't last long enough to be photographed.
Next on the list of delicious things in Cincinnati: GRAETER'S ICE CREAM and chocolates.
In case you didn't know, I am slightly lactarded. Dairy in certain forms (straight milk, cream, cheese, ice cream, yogurt, etc) makes my stomach go crazy. So if even I couldn't resist having a kid's size cup of this stuff, you know it must be good.
Graeter's is famous for its Blueberry Pie flavor, and I can understand why. It tasted like that glorious moment where the vanilla a-la-mode has melted and run into the perfect, berry-rich filling: perfection. They are also famous for their "chocolate chips," which are actually chunks of their semi-sweet chocolate that melt in your mouth. I had a single scoop of Mint Chocolate Chip. Sarah and Chris had a banana split:
Its a good thing I like her, or I'd have started gagging on this photo.
If you're ever in town, go to Graeter's and have a scoop. I'm sure there are people who will argue they've had better ice cream somewhere in some podunk town, but who cares? Its delicious and I'm not making comparisons.
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Wednesday finally called out! After over 200 shows, her understudy finally gets a day in the spotlight!!
Here she is, Miss Lizzie! Lookin' pretty fabulous, I'd say:
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This street name is amazing. (Remember it for later. We shall return.)
Not the best of all the murals in Cincinnati, but surely one of the cutest:
Sarah took me to lunch at Coffee Emporium, a not-so-little corner cafe serving fresh brews and even fresher foods:
Across the street was Sarah's favorite mural in the city. I couldn't get a clear shot of it, but its three people looking out of windows. We especially like the guy's tie dangling from the center frame.
Next she took me on a little driving tour of her city. Through the village of candy houses:
To a gorgeous park on a hill:
To the top of the hill, where we stopped at a beautiful monument:
Where, she informed me, her wedding would take place!!
GORGEOUS location. Perfect for a medium sized, casual wedding where the bride wears yellow shoes and lines the path with jars of lemons. Its going to be a lovely ceremony.
There were puppies there, too.
We played photographer for a while. How can you not when the day is so pretty?
It doesn't hurt that she's a ballerina. Her poses are always so damn cool. Meanwhile, I'm just twirling under trees and feeling awkward.
That night, we went back to her house to make dinner (and cupcakes). Smart cookie that she is, Sarah was in the process of making her own vanilla and cinnamon oil. I mean... seriously? Who thinks of that?
I loved this idea for a dry-erase message board. Definitely planning on using it back at my apartment in NYC:
This made me laugh, mostly for the picture but also for the Ruby Foo's magnet:
Her kitchen was full of ornate knobs:
And the scent of Guinness Chocolate cupcakes:
And lemon custard filling for Lemon Meringue cupcakes:
We had a bit of an oven debacle, which resulted in one screwed up tray of vanilla cupcakes. The middles are missing because, well, the middle still tasted good. Why not?
For dinner we cooked up some stuffed chicken, a pork chop, and a brussel sprouts with bacon, lime, and avocado:
Tunes were provided by her sister, Victoria, who has excellent taste:
Whipping meringue on the counter is all well and good, but you have to put it in boiling water for it to solidify. Cooking fail no.2 of the evening.
Guinness Chocolate with Marshmallow Cream Cheese frosting, and unfrosted vanilla cupcakes with homemade lemon custard filling:
NOW they're Lemon Meringues! Looks like something out of a Dr. Seuss book...
A very successful evening, in the end!
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When I wrap my hair after a shower, I look like I'm about to make my entrance in Aida:
Jus' sayin'.
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Across the street from the theatre, we enjoyed a gastropub called Nicholson's. They were all decked out for the coming of the "Family:"
It still amazes me to see how involved the community gets.
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Speaking of getting involved:
The Reds fans were out full force. I couldn't get through to get to the theatre. I appreciate that you care about baseball, but there isn't even a game. This is just an excuse to wear red and get drunk in the afternoon.
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This is too cute: preparing my birthday cards for Stella (who turns two today!!) and Erica (mommy of the year), I noticed this little tidbit:
Come on. You gotta appreciate that kind of thing.
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We finally caught up with Brazil's photo challenge:
Then we gave them a run for their money:
GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!!! Mwahahahhahahahhahahahha.....
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Pom-Party? Why not.
Sam's family came up to see her as Morticia, bringing along her Pomeranian, Tourie:
Yes, Tourie. My chubby, furry counterpart. You can see just how chubby below:
He's a monster! But oh my gosh, such a cute one:
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This made my day:
Easter. Addams Style.
This was made by Jodi, our local hair mistress. She and her sons went a little coo-coo at Hobby Lobby, and this is what happened. Again, I love how involved people get.
It almost made up for the fact that I couldn't be with this one:
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We had local musicians, but I couldn't tell you who they were:
EPIC EDITING FAIL.
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Packing for our next city jump, I suggested a cheaper mode of transportation for actors:
Kicked out of the boys dressing room for eating too many smelly foods, Jonathan had created a dance captain office:
Complete with a high-heeled corner for his assistant, Alex.
We left it there for the next company to enjoy.
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After our closing performance, we were invited to a pizza party at the Below Zero lounge right next to WilkyMacky! (Remember I said we'd come back to it?) They were having Musical Sundays, which basically means they play videos of showtunes (and movie tunes) and everyone gets drunk and sings along.
They were prepared for our arrival:
They had clips of Blake performing The Music Man, as well as Roland's cameo in The Producers remake, but my favorite moment of the night lies below. I can't think of a better way to leave you:
DOUGLAS SILLS. Broadway star.
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