While I normally begrudge a medical professional attempting to sell me on a product that they clearly receive sponsorship for, we were able to find a deal at Costco, so Elizabeth and I bought a pair of Sonicare toothbrushes. I’ve had electric toothbrushes before so wasn’t expecting much, but it’s exceeded my expectations so far. It’s comfortable to use and has made flossing much easier, but what I especially like about it is that it operates on a four-cycle system that I know has me brushing far more effectively than I was before. So I’ve been advocating it, only to hear from other users of it that they’re susceptible to mold growth if you don’t remove the head after every use, and that the rubber casing can deteriorate to the point where water will damage it. That reminded me of my initial experience with the device, and its infuriating instruction manual that wouldn’t say what the flashing light on the front meant (I eventually had to look it up on the Internet). So: good R&D; problems with the execution and manufacturing. I’d still recommend the product, but they’re good caveats to be aware of.
Build Your Own Musical has its closing night tonight, following which I’ll be playing in Theatresports. The casts for BYOM have been smaller (especially for this extension of the run) and I got to play a more prominent role in the show last night, which was nice, although I let myself down in my big solo number. It’s a fun format for a show, though, and a great payoff for the audience in the second half. I hope I’ll be able to do it again.
In response to the insane dance call for Joseph, I sought out my director/choreographer’s advice on how to best prepare for the show. He told me about a drop-in class he teaches for the 5th Avenue Theatre called “Broadway Fit” and suggested I attend. It’s twice a week at a time that’s really hard to get into the city, but I decided to take a shot at it and it wound up being terribly fun, as well as thoroughly exhausting. The class is basically him teaching us extremely difficult choreography to a musical theatre number at breakneck pace. I am definitely at the bottom rung of skill level in attendance, but it’s also really go-at-your-own-pace and terribly non-judgmental (the choreography is difficult for everyone, including him). I don’t predict that I’ll get measurably better by the time we get into rehearsals next month, but it’s a great workout and a good chance for me to get to know what kind of things to expect from him in the show.
I’m looking forward to some of the new video games coming out next month as well. Arkham City, Zelda: Skyward Sword, Skyrim, and Final Fantasy XIII-2 are all on the list. It’s been at least a year since I’ve found a video game that interested me enough to purchase it. Between that list, Joseph, and Theatresports, it’s gonna be a busy winter.
Dan.