"Most people who think they’re happy just haven’t thought about it enough. Most people who think they’re happy are actually just stupid." ~next to normal

I don't think I actually believe that (is there really a difference between being happy and thinking you're happy?), but what a line.

Why am I posting now? Seriously, there are a million other things I should be doing. I'm such a procrastinator. But after a long, draining day at school and then three hours in a grad school class that requires movement and participation, I'm not in the mood to do anything I should be doing. So here I am.

Yesterday I went to see two Broadway shows. The first was After Miss Julie, starring Sienna Miller, Johnny Lee Miller, and Marin Ireland. It was a good play. Not perfect, but good. Sienna Miller really impressed me. She's more famous for her romantic escapades than her acting skills, but it's too bad because she's talented. She has a strong stage presence.

I also saw Next to Normal again. It's my favorite musical. I was disappointed because J. Robert Spencer was out, and I love him. I thought he should have won the best actor Tony this year. His understudy (Michael Berry) wasn't bad, though. Not as good as Bobby is in the role, but he has a good voice, and it was interesting to see someone else's take on the role of Dan. And all the other main cast members were on, so I was happy about that. Every single one of them is so talented it is unbelievable. Please go see this show before they leave. I promise Alice Ripley is giving one of the best performances I have ever seen on stage (probably the best). And by now they seem to have developed such strong relationships with each other. It's beautiful. I could see this show every day and be moved by it every time. I love listening to the audience reactions. You can hear gasps and murmurs a few times, and there's always a lot of crying. A lot. The guy with whom I went to see After Miss Julie had no problem admitting to me that he cried during Next to Normal. Male, female, old, young...doesn't matter. No one is immune. The theater is filled with sniffles and muffled whimpers and somehow it's a lovely shared experience. If I had to recommend one Broadway show, this would be the one.

I'm busy the next few days. Tomorrow I'm going to see Snow Patrol at the Beacon Theatre. I'm excited. I really like them. I was offered a free ticket, and it's a good seat (front row lower balcony), so that makes it even better. Plain White Tees are opening, and they're not bad.

On Wednesday I'm seeing U2 at Giants Stadium. Nic and I have GAs, and we're spending the day in line to get a really good spot. I've been following setlists religiously to see what they're going to play, but I'm trying not to let myself get my hopes up about anything (not even about hearing "Ultraviolet," because with our luck this could be the first concert where they don't play that song on this tour).

On Friday I'm seeing Bye Bye Birdie on Broadway (for free). On Saturday is the Housing Works book sale. On Sunday is the Broadway Flea Market. That might be my favorite weekend of the year, the Housing Works sale and then the Broadway Flea Market back-to-back. So yeah, I'm busy. And I could keep going. My calendar looks ridiculous it's so full. It's good and bad. Even though I get overwhelmed, when I take a step back, I realize how lucky I am to live here. So it's good.

Ooh, EW sent me an advance screening of the new TV show Modern Family and it's hilarious, so I recommend checking it out when it airs (Wednesday? I think?).

It seems like I tend to post a lot when I'm busy! I've posted a lot lately. So I'll probably find time to post about all this fun stuff.

I'm leaving you with one of my favorite moments from Next to Normal. This is their Tony Awards performance. Bobby is so good here.