Everyone Deserves a Chance to ... fly!

Dear All,

As I am sure most of you are also doing as of late, I just spent all weekend watching a television series on DVD (I'm watching Smallville, if anyone is interested) while preparing for midterms and reading notes for final papers. As a break, I decided to share a little anecdote, showing how much of a nerd I truly am, or about 30 first year English students perceive it anyway. It's okay though, I know I am a nerd. I've accepted it. It's the first step.

It all began (and ended -- I've taken awhile to write the story) 2 Fridays ago, when I was going to the third floor F wing to run an ENGL 1106 Exam Strategies Cram (reason #1 I seemed like the nerdiest person of life). I went to use the staircase by the theatre and there was a small group congregating on the stairwell. One girl was singing "Defying Gravity" in

the stairwell at the top of her lungs (reason #2 I am a nerd: I knew the song just by hearing it, and reason #3 that it is from Wicked, the musical - which, reason #4, I knew BEFORE it was featured in Glee, I might add). So I ascended the stairs and waited for some delightful first year students to come to the room, and once it was beginning we each went around and said our favourite book. I kind of forgot that that would mean I had to say my own. So on the spot I

decided my favourite novel is Pillars of the Earth, a basically 2000 page novel (Reason #5). Then, I stood up to close the door since the music was so loud and said "As much as I love Wicked, Idina Menzel does this better in the original anyway" (Reason #6). When they looked at me funny I said "Kristen Chenoweth? No?" (Reason # 7). Then, reason #8, before all of them had left, some volunteers came to an information meeting that I was hosting in the same room about NU Reads, a literacy program I co-created with a friend 3 years ago.

I like to think it made them feel in safe hands for talking about exams; considering I am a nerd, they hopefully trusted me to tell them how to be one for a day to write a successful exam. I have to say, most of them laughed at my nerdy comments, so at least it relieved some tension ...

Dracula: Dead and Loving It

Unfortunately, I have to report the same for actor Leslie Nielsen, who passed away yesterday. I think most of us recognize the name, but for those of you who cannot put a movie title to that name, in my mind he will be most remembered as the lead of the Naked Gun movies. He has more recently been in children's movies, playing the beloved Santa Claus and other humorous children's characters, but to me he is always the man who says things like "You're excited? You should feel my nipples!" He is one of my favourite things.

What some people do not know is that Mr. Leslie Nielsen, comédien extraordinaire, is actually Canadian-born! That's right, he was born in the prairies!

Which brings me to my chosen clip. I don't know how to embed Youtube videos on here, so I'm sorry but the best I can do is provide a link. Watch Leslie Nielsen try to sing the American national anthem in a movie and fail. It's extra funny since he's Canadian!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4Zar2J1iaE&feature=player_embedded#!

[title of blog]

Hello there!

I am assuming that since you are reading this you are trying to decide whether or not you would like to follow my blog, so you're wondering what in the gosh darn world it is about. I mean, the title is slightly vague, indescript, ambiguous (if you are an English student or an avid literarian [I have coined that term -- the noun version of the adjective literary. Feel free to use it at your disposal]). In part, the fact that the title is open to interpretation is part of it's appeal! Hopefully there will be something for everyone. Follow. Participate. Hooray for active involvement!

I must admit, however, that there is a more direct allusion in both the title and subtitle of this blog: [title of show], an unfortunately slightly obscure musical. If you don't mind a bit of crass language, I suggest you Youtube it; I find it highly entertaining. The entire premise is that it is a simple, yet original, musical. "And who says four chairs and a keyboard can't make a musical?" as the performers sing. Well, who says we need all that flare and pizzazz to be entertained by a blog? That is my hope - to provide random entertainment through what I am experiencing or finding entertaining and sharing it with my fellow Nipissing University students and/or colleagues (including the part-timers!). The songs from [title of show] are linked simply because they resolve around the lives of the characters (who actually play themselves, so they aren't 'characters' at all), which the writers make entertaining through their wit and humour. It is my hope that something similar can happen here. Only time will tell.