I just bought a new laptop

It's been driving me crazy for a while, and until the end of the week I can get an extra 10% off in addition to all the other discounts with Dell through my mother's company, bringing a laptop with all the specs I want to under $700 including tax and shipping. (yay for sending it to the office so I pay less tax because they're sending it to virginia *g*)

It's going to be a Dell Inspiron 1525 - and it's going to be red :)

Intel Core 2 Duo T5450 (1.66GHz/667Mhz FSB/2MB cache) processor, 3 GB memory, 250 GB hard drive, running Vista Home. Comes with MS Works (we'll see if I hate it as much as I do Word 2007); I need to buy my own copy of Photoshop but can do it cheaper through Amazon than getting it preinstalled.

Expect to have it next week.

Can I afford $700? Well, not all at once, but I'm sick of waiting and only doing basic functions online. Once I have the new one up and running, I can actually do things I want to do, even to the point of *gasp* maybe getting my website back up! At the very least, I can work on some things I've needed to do since Christmas, when I appear to have killed my poor 7 year old Vaio dead. (I've taken nearly all the software off, increased the memory, and it still can't open Photoshop - which came preinstalled, so I *know* if it were clean, it could manage that one.) But thanks to the magic of Visa, I can pay it off piecemeal over the next few months.

Now if the IRS would just send me my refund in the next three weeks, I'd be a lot happier about having dropped this much money (since I need that refund to pay the State of Maryland without wiping out my bank account).

More on Kiss of the Spider Woman

This may not actually be coherent - I adore this show so much, nearly as much as Sunday in the Park with George, that I was crying from the beginning, for any lines were even spoken. Mostly, but not entirely, because of Hunter. I know I am incredibly lucky that this is my second production of the show - no one does this show, ever - but damn, I do NOT want to go another 8 years between production. I love it too much.

Hunter Foster as Molina - good god. Performance of a lifetime. Dead serious. Not exaggerating. He had me sobbing the moment the lights came up on him, onstage, fingers in his mouth, during the overture. I adore Molina anyway, but damn. Hunter was amazing. Particularly in the way he moved - a lot of movements with the forearm but the upper arm held close to the body, constantly with his fingers at his mouth or on his face, with the effect that his nature is both flamboyant and reserved, constantly holding himself in, afraid to be fully present in the world. And the snarky lines were a joy to hear from his lips. It was just such a wonderful performance I don't even know how to describe it other than perfect.

Will Chase as Valentin - incredible vocal power. I desperately want to see a lot more of him now - The Day After That did to me what it ought to, what a good Enjolras does to me on "They will come when we call". (I can't help it - leftist revolutionaries who sing are hot!) And his confession to Molina - about how Marta is a bourgeoise with a little red Mercedes - was utterly adorable in how he was trying to be all cards on the table but was still rather embarrassed, and he's telling Molina, so really, no need to be embarrassed over your bourgeois tastes with him :) He was gorgeous, really, and I cried so much when he kissed Molina.

Natacia Diaz as Aurora - they have her in a different black costume for every single number, which is appropriate yet half my mind was then on the cost. She was v. good, but not transcendent like the boys. In part because for the Russian movie, Eric has her doing a Marlene Dietrich impression that is hilarious - and then, the bit where she's all dying in her lover's arms, she seems to die, then sits right back up again, like Jerry in series 2 of Slings and Arrows, and I died. Because yes, it was played as bad movie thus funny, but the mental image of Jerry was just too much. I'm not sure the comedy was necessary, in any case. She was good, but what's going to stick in my mind is that, rather than her other bits (Gimme Love in particular was excellent).

Ensemble - Steven Cupo as the Warden they had in what looked like burn makeup, not sure it was entirely necessary. Steven's lack of height was terribly effective, though. James Gardiner as Gabriel was as sweet as he always is. Erin Driscoll was darling as Marta, not that Marta gets much to do. Channez McQuay was excellent as Molina's mother. Stephen Gregory Smith and Matt Connor were both in the ensemble doing their usual good jobs - could have done with a lot more of Stephen in particular. Good to see Kurt Boehm back, even just in ensemble - he was in One Red Flower.

Staging as a whole quite harsh and gritty. Prisoners constantly making noise, banging tin cups on steel bars of their cells, movements appropriate to what was going on.

Interesting choice was the end, Only in the Movies, everyone is released from their characters, essentially, gets boxes of popcorn, and gathers round to see Molina's big moment (and Hunter was darling in white tie and tails). The provision of an audience. Not sure how I feel about it, but I want to get it down so I remember it.

Adored this production. Wish I didn't have to worry about money and could go back, see it again. But, there are other things that need my money, like Glory Days on Broadway! (Got the word from James that they don't have the funding in place but it looks like they'll be able to open in May, and it will be original cast.) I still think it's pushing it, Broadway, for that show, but it's a good show, and I'm so proud of James and Nick.

For the record. Will Chase: Not a tool :) Nice guy - must see him in more things.

Oh, and meant to post earlier . . .

Anthony Minghella??!! *sob* He wasn't even old!