I wish I'd seen it earlier to let people know, but flouting convention, the MIT Gilbert and Sullivan Players have cast a very cute plus size actress as Yum Yum in The Mikado. I saw it tonight and it was excellent.

this is she:
http://www.julielaurenstevens.com/

She has an amazing voice, and it was refreshing that they didn't cast Yum Yum based on being tiny (a tradition going back to Gilbert himself, who wrote Three Little Maids from School as a jest inspired by/for petite women in D'oyly Carte), as has so often been the main requirement.

There is only one more performance left! It is at 2pm, today, Saturday the 12th, so I don't know if this will get out to people in time, but I thought I'd give you a chance if you're in the Boston area and free this afternoon. So sorry I didn't know sooner!

the performance is on the second floor of the Student Center at 84 Massachusetts Ave.

Bff: Thats the Laura we all know
The strong Laura inside that people don't know about.

Awww, made my heart melt. She is a keeper. :)

This is copied and pasted from a message I sent elsewhere; some it of will duplicate what some of you have already received, but I'm not about to tailor messages for each recipient; that simply is too much work.

( Non running stuff is behind the cut )
We then walked to New York New York, and took the tram to Mandalay Bay, where the race expo was being held. I picked up my bib, chip, and swag bag, bought a pair of gloves because I had left a pair at home, and I knew that I would need gloves at least for the first few miles of the race. We reversed our trip back to the hotel, and freshened up for dinner, and the show.

Saturday morning, Mary walked a 5K race; it is the "Great Santa Run", and they give every entrant a Santa suit to wear while running or walking. (There was also a 1-mile race, and everyone in it also got a Santa suit); the organizers (a charity called Opportunity Village) wanted to set a new record for the largest number of Santas gathered in one location. This was Mary's second 5K; the first one was three weeks earlier, and she completed it is 57:50, validating my prediction that she would do it in less than an hour; she didn't think she could do it that fast. At the Great Santa Run, she did it in 44:27, but she thinks that their clock was off, and that she didn't do it that fast. As best I could determine, it was accurate. That evening, we drove to the race's pasta feed at Mandalay Bay (BTW, the street leading to their valet parking station is named "The Road to Mandalay.), and then went back the hotel where I got all my gear and clothing ready for the race then went to bed, to get a good night's sleep. Frankly, I don't remember what we did between those two events.

I set the alarm for 4 am Sunday morning, but woke up at 3:30. We were out of the hotel before 5 AM, and walked to NY NY, and took the tram to Mandalay Bay again. We stayed in the conference center until about 5:45 am. After going outside, I took off my warm layers and stocking cap, and checked them at the bag drop-off. I was then wearing a pair of running shorts, with a running shell pants over them, a bra, short-sleeve tee shirt, and long-sleeve tee shirt, and my running cap. Oh, and the gloves. I got to the starting corral at 6 am, and stood around waiting for the 6:15 start of the race. Once the race started, it took me about 28 minutes to reach the starting line, and we were off. Race details are below. While I was racing, Mary was shooting craps in the casino. She bought $60 in chips, and when she had $160 worth of chips, she wisely quit the game.
( Read more... )
The Race: As I mentioned, it took some 43 minutes from the time I got to the starting corral until I crossed the starting line. This was in about 37 degree weather. Whenever I'm cold, my kidneys go into hyperdrive, and I had to make a pit stop about 4/10 of a mile into the race. This cost me three minutes and 24 seconds according to my GPS device. I missed setting a personal record by a minute and 39 seconds, and was 6:51 slower than my goal time for the race. So, even without the pit stop, I would have missed that goal by almost three and a half minutes.

Here are the official stats for the race:

Distance	HALF MAR
Clock Time	3:19:28
Chip Time	2:51:51
Overall Place	13174 / 17880
Gender Place	7724 / 11356
Division Place	17 / 78
Age Grade	56.9%
Pace	13:07
5 Km	42:02
10 Km	1:20:36
10 Mi	2:10:00

Here are the stats from my GPS:

2:51:55 (2:48:24 in motion) for 3.22 miles. (Because I had to weave around slower runners and walkers, and did not take all the turns on the tangent, I actually ran a bit farther than the official 13.1 miles). My mile paces were 16:30 (13:08 in motion), 11:56, 11:54, 12:18, 11:44, 12:27, 12:28, 12:44, 12:53, 13:37, 13:17, and 2:43 (12:30 pace) for the last .22 miles.

And there you have it.

-- Michelle

--
Science is the defense of ignorance, the insistence that we do not know what we do not know. --Clifford Geertz

While cheering up my roomie, V, as she's trying to study for her bio final--

"Oh, H, you make my life so much better!"

She wasn't even drunk this time~

"Your dimple makes me melt inside."

Kiawah Island half-marathon tomorrow.
Only had about 20 days to train.
Looking to beat my last half's time of 2:23

bring it on!

Favorite restaurant/cafe to grab dinner or lunch that is also good for deep, private, probably long conversations?
Reasonable prices and casual tone a must, as well.

LES/Village, Greenpoint/Williamsburg preferred.

hey fats and friends!!

i just had to share, i had a hannukah vintage miracle this week: a pair of knee-high brown leather boots in perfect condition that zip over my calves. no label or anything. they fit my wide, short legs perectly. they are a big higher in the heel than i am used to wearing, and i have yet to give them a real test drive, AND my camera and computer are in a fight so i cant post a pic. but damn and i ever excited about owning them.


oh, did i mention they were only $27??

jeez. miracle!!

( Cut for possible triggering discussion )

(I did try to put this behind a cut, mods; thanks for mentioning. You guys rock.)

It was hilarious!