A new poem!

Giving up or giving in,
Both of those sicken me,
Why wait 'til tomorrow,
For what could be done today?
Now is the time for everything,
Everything that matters,
Anybody can set a goal,
Not everyone can reaches their goal,
Swagger

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune

Southern Isles Championships

I am setting a goal for myself. I'm going to compete in the Southern Isles Championships bodybuilding tournament on June 25th in Georgia. I've got two months to prepare for it. This will be my first tournament and I plan on competing in the Wheelchair Nationals next year!

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune

Progress

I am happy to report that my new diet and adjusted gym routine seem to be paying off dividends already. My muscles are getting bigger and more defined, which is totally awesome. I hope that if I stick with this that I will be able to participate in a wheelchair bodybuilding competition within the next year or so.

Hopefully this'll be me soon:



http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune

The post show funk

So, the show is over. It was better than I expected, honestly. Going into the last week, we (the cast) were still not where we needed to be. We got there, though. It is a shame we only did one "real" performance, but it was great nevertheless. We got a standing ovation right away and the energy was orgasmic during the curtain call.

...and there was a little bit of a different feeling for me. I've done other shows, but this was the first one I've ever done where I helped with direction and production. I'm really proud of my cast mates and what they were able to do with the show.

Hopefully my next show will be South Pacific, later this year. What am I going to do with myself until then?

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR

Tonight is the "real" performance. Yesterday's was for school children, but today the audience will be packed with people that paid up to $45 per ticket! I am so thankful to be a part of this show. I've wanted to do Superstar for so long and I am finally in it. Now I just need to be in Les Miserables, Pippin, 1776, Mamma Mia!, and Into the Woods and I can die happy.

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune

Another opening, another show

Our first performance of Jesus Christ Superstar went surprisingly well. I didn't know we had it in us. Of course there were a couple of minor snafus, but overall I'm happy with how well we did and I am very proud of my cast mates.

Tonight I am off to NYC yet again. This time I am going to see a couple of friends in Guys and Dolls.

Then another Superstar show tomorrow. By the way, did you know that Jesus had a foot fetish?

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune

How to Dehumanize a Person (YouTube video transcript)

Hey all, I had a different video planned for today, but something happened to me in the last 40-45 minutes or so and I've got this topic on my mind now. It has to do with handicapped rights and more so the rights of humans, I guess.

So, I'll explain what happened that made me think of this. I mean, it is something that's always on my mind, but it was brought to my attention again today because of this occurrence.

I was at rehearsal for this show I am doing and I came out when rehearsal was over and there was a car parked right next to my handicapped van that has a lift, so I can get into the van. And I'm not sure if you've noticed, but some handicapped spaces have extra space beside them with crossed lines whether they're yellow or blue and sometimes they have signs that say "No Parking Any Time." The reason for this is that people that have vans with lifts need to use those lifts to get out of their car, so if someone's parked in the space next to it, they can't get out or get in their car.

So, I was parked in the handicapped spot and someone was parked in the space next to it that specifically says No Parking Any Time. So, as I'm coming out of the building, the car that's parked in the No Parking Any Time space moves. So, I go up to the driver and said "hey, what does that sign say?"

He said, "what sign?"

"The one in the spot where you were just parked."

"It says No Parking."

So I said, "well, why were you parked there?"

He said, "But I moved when I saw you."

And I was like, "you know, that's not really the point. The point is that you are not supposed to be parked there. It says No Parking Any Time. If you weren't in your car and you couldn't move your car, then I or whoever else may need to use that spot wouldn't be able to get in their car."

And basically he went on to insult me more and say that I was only complaining because I was upset, which is obviously true - I was upset, but it is not really about me. It is about all handicapped people. It is the principle of the matter. You're not supposed to park there because those spots are designated for people to get in and out of their cars.

Thankfully, someone else was there and came up to me a little later while I was sitting in my car thinking about what had just happened and said that they were happy that I stood up for myself and happy that I stood up for all handicapped people, really.

But when people do things like that, abuse handicapped spots, the spots next to them, or anything like that, it makes us (anyone with a disability) feel like less of a person.

I'm pretty sure you can see that I'm not in the greatest mood right now and that is because of this. Right now I really do feel like less of a person. I'm not just saying that, that's actually how I feel.

So, I guess the moral is if you are watching this video, please think about things before you do them. Don't park in those spots that say "No Parking Any Time" even if it is just for a second because that is one second too long.

And in general, just try to be nicer.

[End video transcript.]

I had more recorded for this video, but I messed up at the end and since it was almost 2am and didn't want to rerecord the entire thing (and editing/splicing wasn't working). The last bit that I cut out was supposed to say (after "one second too long.")

"And in general, just try to be nicer to people. Anyone. Whether they are handicapped or not handicapped, black, white, purple, Jewish, Muslim, Christian - it doesn't matter. Just try to be nice, try to be considerate. I guess that is all I have to say."

[End extra video transcript.]

So now I don't want to go to rehearsal tonight because I'm worried that this man will be there again. I love theatre more than just about anything else in the world, but thanks to this person I don't even want to do that. This is what happens when you treat someone like a second-class citizen.

When I was in the NYC the other day one of my friends said "you know, I always forget you use a wheelchair." Normally, I do, too. It seems so natural to me that I don't think I am different than anyone else. I am only reminded of it when things like this happen.

Oh well, c'est la vie, I suppose.

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune

Tech Week

My favorite part of the rehearsal process for shows is now upon us. Jesus Christ Superstar tech started today with the sitzprobe. It went surprisingly well and things really seem to be coming together. I had a ball today singing and rocking out with the band. It is hard to believe that the show will be over by the end of this week.

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune

What a party that was...

I went into NYC yesterday to see a show with a theatre friend of mine. The show, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, was AMAZING! There were a couple of scenes, though, where the main characters, 3 drag queens, were verbally and physically assaulted because of their lifestyle and I was greatly bothered by that fact. I realize it is just a show, but sadly those things do happen in real life. It just reminded me how much I wish that people would be more accepting of each other no matter what differences they may have. Thankfully, overall the show was very up beat and I was very happy afterwards.

...and then I had a sleepover at said friends' apartment with several other theatre friends. It was SOOOOOOOOO much fun. I really love my friends. <3

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune