plugging along

have worked out 8+ times a month since october. seem to get sweatier faster these days, which tim seems to think indicates that i'm in better shape. i find it a little gross.

we're going to see idina menzel tonight. i hope she sings some of her musical stuff as well as the pop stuff; i like the former a lot better. it would also be okay if she brought her husband onstage. mmm.

scrabble on saturday! in boston. for the second weekend in a row. for five weekends of scrabble in a row or so. i should probably take a break some time soon.

recent tasty dinners: fideos (browned angelhair pasta with tons of garlic in soupy broth); risotto cakes (with cheese, peas); handmade (not by us) garlic spinach tortellini in sundried tomato and artichoke sauce.

back yard is almost completely thawed. dogs are muddy.

idina

Just home from the Idina Menzel concert. Overall, thumbs up. This was the first stop on the tour, and it was a small venue (Portsmouth's Music Hall). She forgot her lyrics three times, including once on a song from RENT, which was pretty cute. In general, she's a cute little person. She kept fidgeting with her hair and accidentally making double-entendre remarks and otherwise being a normal person. She has a lot of voice, and most of the time, that was great. A little more of the quiet and vulnerable would have been fine with me, rather than quite so much over the top. Eclectic set list included: Heartbreaker (Pat Benetar), One (U2), Embraceable You, Heaven Help My Heart (she did Chess at the Royal Albert as a concert with Adam Pascal and Josh Groban, apparently), No Day but Today, a bunch of stuff from her new album (which I don't know well), a couple of old ones (including Still I can't be Still), and a prayer in hebrew. Good stuff. Encore was Defying Gravity, with audience participation. It was cool to see so many people, including many very young people, who were so excited to see her. She commented on going to see RENT and some of the audience not having been born when she was in the cast. Same was true of tonight's audience. I have two of Idina's CDs, including one that's listed on amazon.com used with the lowest price at $164. How odd. Pop/broadway tonight, opera on Friday.