Finally

Finally...a news story that is positive and kind of makes the heart warm.

By CHRISTOPHER CHESTER, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 41 minutes ago


BAGHDAD - After weathering nearly five years of war, Baghdad residents thought they'd pretty much seen it all. But Friday morning, as muezzins were calling the faithful to prayer, the people here awoke to something certifiably new.

For the first time in memory, snow fell across Baghdad.

Although the white flakes quickly dissolved into gray puddles, they brought an emotion rarely expressed in this desert capital snarled by army checkpoints, divided by concrete walls and ravaged by sectarian killings — delight.

"For the first time in my life I saw a snow-rain like this falling in Baghdad," said Mohammed Abdul-Hussein, a 63-year-old retiree from the New Baghdad area.

"When I was young, I heard from my father that such rain had fallen in the early '40s on the outskirts of northern Baghdad," Abdul-Hussein said, referring to snow as a type of rain. "But snow falling in Baghdad in such a magnificent scene was beyond my imagination."

Morning temperatures uncharacteristically hovered around freezing, and the Baghdad airport was closed because of poor visibility. Snow is common in the mountainous Kurdish areas of northern Iraq, but residents of the capital and surrounding areas could remember just hail.

"I asked my mother, who is 80, whether she'd ever seen snow in Iraq before, and her answer was no," said Fawzi Karim, a 40-year-old father of five who runs a small restaurant in Hawr Rajab, a village six miles southeast of Baghdad.

"This is so unusual, and I don't know whether or not it's a lesson from God," Karim said.

Some said they'd seen snow only in movies.

Talib Haider, a 19-year-old college student, said "a friend of mine called me at 8 a.m. to wake me up and tell me that the sky is raining snow."

"I rushed quickly to the balcony to see a very beautiful scene," he said. "I tried to film it with my cell phone camera. This scene has really brought me joy. I called my other friends and the morning turned to be a very happy one in my life."

An Iraqi who works for The Associated Press said he woke his wife and children shortly after 7 a.m. to "have a look at this strange thing." He then called his brother and sister and found them awake, also watching the "cotton-like snow drops covering the trees."

For a couple of hours anyway, a city where mortar shells routinely zoom across to the Green Zone became united as one big White Zone. As of late afternoon, there were no reports of violence. The snow showed no favoritism as it fell faintly on neighborhoods Shiite and Sunni alike, and (with apologies to James Joyce) upon all the living and the dead.

Enough already

I'm so fucking sick of hearing about Britney Spears!
The media is taking all of this way too far--someone literally needs to shake this girl or just back the fuck off and let her self destruct. What's worse is everyone talking about the pressures of fame, paparazzi, etc. If you have that kind of money there is no reason for you to allow the pressure of anything to affect you to the point of acting like a nut. I understand everyone has problems-we're human... but this is ridiculous and I'm so Goddamn sick of hearing about it. Someone was talking about her going broke and about how if she were to retire now that she would barely be able to get by on $300K a month. $300,000.00 a MONTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ohhhhh but she wouldn't be able to afford the lifestyle she currently lives... so what does that actually mean she would only have like 2 houses instead of probably the 5 or 6 she has all over the world (maybe more).... or does it mean that she wouldn't be able to just go to any store and get whatever the hell she wants and that would make her very so awful? or perhaps she wouldn't be able to have 5 assistants and bodyguards? Deal with it bitches! $300,000 is more money than most people will ever see and to have that kind of money a month? An average person would be able to buy 2 decent homes, perhaps a car, and have a little left over for grocieries....this is what millions work all their lives to obtain and only one house and occasionally a new car. People take out 30 year mortgages and work hard all their lives to pay off one house while if you have this income you could probably pay off TWO very nice average homes and then next month turn around and do the same thing. Bullshit like this pisses me off...and then people feel sorry for her. People like this gay tard on youtube who makes videos crying about her...people who seem to not understand things. I don't feel one bit sorry for her. Poor thing...it must be hard making millions of dollars, having recording contracts, having people take pictures of you in public all the time when you ask for it by doing crazy things, having access to anything you want to buy 24/7, access to the BEST shrinks and docs if you are really having problems...I don't feel bad! Everyone has the ability to make a choice and she is making the choice to be a total fuck up. Suck it up. If fame is too hard for you then move to a remote island with your kids and shut the fuck up and stay out of my news-there are more issues that I care about than hearing your bullshit spread across the news. People live in poverty every day...on the streets...kids go to bed without eating anything all day-how about we do something about that rather than worrying about Brit Brit getting custody of her damn kids, who will probably inherit a fortune anyways and wont have to worry about paying for anything the rest of their lives. Meanwhile us average Americans are having to deal with paying high rent, mortgages, rising gas prices, insurance, taxes (yeah most of us don't get many tax breaks), and child care, etc, etc.... all on what Ms. Spears would probably consider pocket change. And meanwhile the credit scoring system in this country has ONCE again changed and will be a tad tougher on people--and will also be even more vague as to how to get good credit! I find this ridiculous and completely insane! Oh and anything derogatory on the credit report may be there now up to 8 years instead of 7. So for those of us young folk who have made a few credit mistakes in our past--or had identity theft (yeah it happened to me 3 times and I'm still clearing it up-and I shredded everything) will be fucked even more while we try to fix things because it takes longer for the GOOD fucking things you do to hit the report than the bad to go away. Kind of unfair, eh? Of course I'm sure Brit Brit never has to worry about her credit report....all I have to say is self destruct already skank or else use your millions and get fucking help like a normal person!

We're in a microwave

Tornados in January
Snow and cold in the west
flooding and unseasonably warm temps in the east coast....
the hardcore conservative christians will be busy preaching that this is the end time this sunday--
perhaps we could say global warming?
It's January and this is what's happening?
I remember January when I was like 5
there was so much snow on the ground
school would be cancelled for days
it would actually be cold as hell
AND the snow that came would lay on the ground ALL winter
and wouldn't melt until the beginning of April.
Somehow I can't help but laugh at everyone's urging (including mine) to figure this out...
but it's funny when it comes down to the plain and simple fact that we have no control over mother nature.
We can build satellites in space, cure disease, prevent disease, create and pretty much do anything we want-
but the one thing we can't touch is nature.
I'm sure before it's all over someone will try.
Regardless we have no control, as much as we try to.
In the end we can merely feel like ants on an ant farm
now there some kid up there doing some fucked up stuff to us
saying "I feel like fucking with their world."
I wanna yell..."Hey you little asshole...thanks to you no one down here will EVER get over this nasty cold or flu"
Interesting times my friends...
global warming-it's pretty real, eh?

Michael Turay and life

Just have to say I adore Michael Turay! Flipping through my vids and poorly lighted pics from the 12th night party just made me smile. The weekend was full of parties and such-I felt like I was back in college...only that I earned the right to party harder and better in some ways. Friday night was Ro's farewell party since she's leaving on tour and my intention was to not be out too late...I got home at 1:00 the next afternoon--that's all I'm saying about that. Then 12th night party at Revival rolled around and I didn't pull the keys out to get in the apartment until 6:45 a.m. So everyone keeps asking....what's next? I ask this of many myself...I don't know is the honest answer. I don't plan on doing much auditioning until early spring--I just signed up for an acting class starting soon and will be working on all new audition rep. and getting new headshots, etc, etc. So we'll figure it all out....

Listening

Inside a large house nestled on the most beautiful street
sits an empty room on the ground floor.
The room is quiet, dark, and hasn't been lived in for quite a while...
he walks into the room briefly
too scared to actually soak in what is in there
he backs out.
as he backs out he sees an old picture on the dresser
one he hasn't seen in years.
It brings tears to his eyes
he forgot about the person in the picture
he decides to go back
this time actually turning the light on he goes in all the way.
For a moment he is taken completely back by his emotions
he stares at the pictures on the walls and starts crying
memories of a time he can barely remember
he finds a box in the closet
a small box filled with memories
a sponge still in the plastic
5 opened and half used packs of Lucky Strikes
several books that are marked in, drawn in...
notes from old friends
posters advertising old events
the smell of the box reminds him of so much he hasn't thought of.
He wondered in the back of his mind why he could never integrate this stuff
integrate it with the rest of the house.
Why was it locked away?
This room had been closed for so long
fear of the unknown
fear of going back into that place of child like simplicity
it has suddenly hit him that the other rooms were full
full of good things-but missing the life this room had to offer
this saddened him
should he rid the entire house of things and start over?
no.
Everything was too expensive, too much work, too much pain, too much happiness, too many memories to just throw away.
At breakfast he sat across the table from a friend with a soul from heaven
the friend without asking or knowing anything says...
"you should disburse the stuff from that room to the rest of your house...there are too many wonderful things in there to just let them sit...don't go through the pain of not seeing them or living there...."
"Im trying to live out the answers," I say smiling.
We eat and I go back to the house
I turn on the light and take the picture off the dresser
I move it into my bedroom and hang it on the wall.
This is the first step.

-Justin

Republicans, games, boredom, and other stuff

Random thoughts for the day in Justin land:

1. If a republican gains office this time around I will seriously consider deporting myself-especially Huckabee.

2. For the first time I have missed being in school. I feel as though I have nothing to do...and have to choose my own brain stimulation. I'm too A.D.D. to choose my own but I'm gonna have to learn how to do this. I was listening to language cds on my ipod this morning on the train-French to be specific. The scores are coming to work with me next week to start learning some things for some upcoming auditions and such.

3. I read sometimes that people like to play games such as disappear of the face of the earth and make people look for them--I don't do these kinds of games, in fact I despise them. Just take note.

4. Some change is about to take place in the realm of my world-I'm not sure what but I can feel it happening.

5. I have a farewell party to attend this evening for one of my closest friends who is going on tour-I'm sad but so proud of her.

6. I can't wait to see Sweeney Todd tomorrow night and also party it up with people from the show who I haven't seen since before Christmas

that's all for now.

communication

It sucks when you realize that just because you're not sucking someone's cock anymore that the lines of communication are suddenly closed... the walls are up... and all that once seemed great-is suddenly quite sad.
-J

Early Music & Italian Men

Two random topics I am going to rant about that are almost totally non related-well kind of!
#1 Italian Men!
I adore Italian men for the most part. I think they're gorgeous in so many ways, and the accents are just delicious. Obviously living in Astoria where there is a HUGE population of Italian people I have easily learned how to distinguish an Italian American from someone who was literally born in Italy. There are just dead give aways that one can tell. Typically the ones born in Italy that I've come in contact with have longer greasier hair, are a bit more meaty, and have an air about how they walk. The ones from the U.S. are more metrosexualified (if that's a word). They have shorter hair, it's obvious that they never forget to put some kind of lip balm on their lips, and there's the always present gold chain or watch. Regardless both sets are hot, irresistible, and just seethe some kind of Mediterranean air-its as if they were just plucked from and olive tree. So today I get my hair cut during my lunch break, it was time for a change and I'm happy I did it. Ira (the Russian lady who I adore that cuts my hair at this salon on 43rd) took extra long today because she does such a good job and is a perfectionist. So I left and literally had 5 minutes before I needed to be back at the desk-I'm only a block away. As I'm walking and listening to John Dowland (yes I'm a dork I know but early music is my new obsession--more later) I hear someone yell at me from a car. I pull out my ear phones and I look and see this very handsome Italian in this amazing car. I walk up to him and he asks me in Italian if I speak Italian. I responded that I do but that it has been a while since I've had conversation. He proceeds to tell me that I looked Italian so that's why he yelled at me. Are you serious?? Yes I am part Italian but I don't think I match ANY of the typical Italian physical characteristics besides my large nose. Of course I remember being in Italy and seeing a few lighter haired guys and was told by a native Italian that I looked like her son-but still never would have thought that. My great grandfather--yes he looked Italian and I can see it in my grandparents but no one else. So I kind of laughed and he looked at me and then asked if I knew how to get to JFK because he was flying back to Italy. I told him the way I THOUGHT he could get there but honestly I had no clue. He asked me if I was a business man and wanted to know what I did and I told him I was an opera singer and an actor and he asked if I would mind accompanying him to the airport and he would pay my cab fare back because he had no idea where he was going. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight! This is when I'm reminded that I'm in NYC. Oh how fun....I told him I'm sorry but I was running late to work--and of course another Italian trait was that he kept nagging me and telling me that it wouldn't take too long. Sadly my encounter with the hot Italian man didn't last much longer as I apologized and kept walking away. *Sigh* Entertaining story of the day--who knows where he really wanted me to go and of course I would have NEVER gotten in the car but it was fun anyways...
#2 Early Music:
A friend of mine who is singing right now with Minnesota Opera was talking to me on the phone the other night about singing-because that's all we talk about. He is a lyric baritone, as am I and we often talk about how we think this is a very tough voice category because it's a voice that one can so easily push out of wack really fast. You can either push your brains out and try to sing bigger rep than what you should (because the development takes so long), or you might be told often that you should be a tenor because your low range is not strong and your top is pretty good, or you sing off the voice always and are a little too cautious and start to hide behind a protective wall. He was saying how difficult it is to find this balance and I told him that I couldn't agree more and that I'm dealing with this right now more than anything else. I listened to my masters recital cd for the first time in months and could hardly stand it. I feel vocally like a completely different person than I was then. One thing too that I'm trying to figure out is the mic situation. It sounds to me like the recording mic was too close--so there were a lot of partials lost that I think sound so much better when the recording mic is not so close and you get the full accoustical affect. So of course I hear every flaw, every imperfection, and I get pissy with myself. Ok move on, deal with it, and just keep going. The intention was right, but the sound was just not the best. And in a lot of places I can hear a timbre to my voice that should be throughout--and it's interesting because I think with freedom this timbre is going to open some interesting new things up. I'm not convinced myself right now that I'm a baritone, that I will be a baritone-really I'm not. I really think I may transition into tenor land. I know it's crazy, but it's true. When I have been vocalizing it has just felt so different and the higher stuff has been working out fantastically because I feel free--my speaking voice as well naturally sits higher when I don't try to push it down to sound more manly. I shouldn't have to do that I've realized-and listening to my cd there were many times when I could sense a false darkening I was doing try to sound like something...well that I'm not. I have found that I can't think as much...I just can't think of placing something, opening a certain length, or whatever. So this is a work in progress and I will have a pair of ears hear me soon that I trust. But listening to it there felt like there was something missing, and perhaps this was a more internal thing I can feel when I can remember what I was thinking and remember exactly how something felt. But the times when it was good...it was good and there was nothing missing. We'll work on this and all will open up. I digress....early music...so the friend and I were talking about how recently we have both been listening to a lot of early vocal music. Particularly I adore John Dowland and I've been listening to a TON TON TON of madrigal and really baroque things that are way cool. Vivaldi has become a favorite as of late as well and of course Gluck and Handel. He asked the question as to why I think this is starting to become popular and yet some are not willing to embrace it and the major houses are just slowly sneaking it in. Somehow I came up with something that I'd been thinking about for a while and here are my thoughts: I think early music is coming back is because it is so honest, earthy, sensible, and accessible. Yet with the seeming "simplicity and accessibility" of it there are SO many layers underneath of it. I think that as a society we are moving towards a more earthy place in our needs, I think people are appreciating these things more and more. "Tis the gift to be simple..." right? I truly believe that. For me simplicity is the way to go with all things...and I don't mean this in a trite way, but a very logical and formal simplicity. We are changing as a people, and as artists. I would like to think that no long does everyone need to go to the theatre to sit back and forget about things nor do they need to go and see a spectacle of costumes, scenery, etc that will blow them away. Not that this isn't great, because I trust me I still adore the staple larger things that are done. But I think people are moving towards a place where they go to the theatre to see something honest and that will make them think. Early music has this strange power to do this. I never really liked it much in college--in fact I often wondered why we were moving to a place of early music...now I know why. My friend agreed with me and he also said that his coach has been giving him some early arias that are amazing for years and he has just now picked them up and plans on auditioning with them. We'll see where this goes but I truly believe that it's something great that's opening up. We have to appreciate all kinds of music as artists and singers. For many years I thought early music was for pussies-but now I think sometimes it takes more balls to be honest and simple on the stage. Especially vocally since so much of this is exposed and free-now that's tough and takes courage.
Tonight I go to the theatre to see Edward II--a play off-broadway. I can't wait....:)
-Justin