My High School Life

I'm back from a great trip to Florida! I had a really wonderful time, both visiting family and catching up with old friends. I need to get my life together here, but I'll be posting a recap of my Florida fun soon.

In the meantime, how about taking that look back at high school me that I promised in my last post? I had planned to get this together to post while I was in Florida, but hey, I got busy. So we'll do it now!

My high school: Northeast HS Vikings

I have to say, I have mixed emotions when I think back to high school. I had a lot of fun, don't get me wrong. But it was also a very awkward time in my life. (Of course, isn't it for everyone?) I went through a lot of the normal growing up stuff, as people do - first boyfriend, first kiss, first car, first job etc. But I also had some heavy family stuff going on at the same time. My parents' divorce was finalized not long after the start of my freshman year of high school. So on top of those normal life changes every teenager faces, I was also adjusting to home life with just my dad and sister, and balancing visitation with my mom. It was tough, I have to say. But those challenges certainly don't define my four years of high school. I did have lots of fun. I was super awkward and unsure of myself, but I made some good friends.

I was a big-time band nerd. Before school even started my freshman year, I had spent a week at band camp, which actually was great because it enabled me to meet some people before the year started. And I loved band. I loved marching, I loved football games, I loved competitions. See? Band nerd. And in case that's not enough for you to agree with me, check out some of these old pictures from my freshman year (I can't believe I'm voluntarily posting some of these on the internet...):

The band room at my high school, during my time there. Since I graduated, they have completely rebuilt the school, so it no longer looks like this.

In all my band-nerd glory freshman year: Poufy hair, band t-shirt, spandex under my shorts so I could change into my band uniform in the band room. Wow.

Marching onto the field. I think I am the third one from the left.

The band at a pep rally. I'm the flute on the far left.

And my band-nerdiness continued throughout my high school career. What can I say? I told you I loved it. I participated in Solo & Ensemble Contest every year, either with a solo and/or as part of a flute trio or quartet. I marched in marching band every year (despite band director issues - we went through three directors during my four years). Football games were a blast because our football team was awesome - they won every single regular season game during my time there, so we also got to travel to some playoff games. I also got more involved leadership-wise as the years went on, becoming section leader my junior year (I think) and drum major my senior year.

Eating lunch with band friends Kristin and Cathy my sophomore year

Marching my sophomore year

Band practice my senior year, with my assistant drum major Karen

Karen and I leading the band to the football stadium my senior year

Conducting my senior year

Performing my senior solo at our spring concert

My senior year was also extra fun, because by then my sister was a freshman and she joined the color guard, so we got to do all this together!

Drum major and color guard, ready for a football game!

Heather and the color guard (Heather is fourth from the left)

Of course, I did do other things during high school besides band. I wasn't super involved in any other clubs, but I was a member of National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta. I participated in homecoming festivities (especially my senior year, when I even colored my hair black - our senior color - for spirit day!). I went to homecoming dances and band banquets. And of course, the summer before my junior year, I met my husband!

Dancing with Eric in my room not long after we first met. We actually danced to All-4-One's "I Swear," which I had taped off the radio! How's that for a blast from the past?

With my new boyfriend Eric at my junior year homecoming dance

At band banquet my junior year

Heather, Eric and me before my senior homecoming dance

I also learned to drive and got my first car. Oh, how I laugh when I think back to that first car! It was a 1986 Dodge Omni. It sounded like a lawn mower and stopped running when it rained. Seriously. I could be driving down the road, it would start raining, and oh hey, I'm not going anywhere anymore. My dog always knew when I was on my way home when I was still a block away because of the ridiculous noise it made. It also had purple tinted windows, but the tint was peeling off. I remember going to the drive-in movies with my friends and just sitting in the back of my car peeling the tint off my windows. Ah, it was glorious. (Sadly enough, I think that may actually have been one of the more reliable cars I ever had. I was not super lucky in the car department, that's for sure.)

I also got my first job, as a waitress at Steak 'N Shake. It was a pretty good job for a 16-year-old, actually. I made pretty decent money in tips, and a lot of other kids my age worked there so it was fairly enjoyable. I actually got my first job so that I could afford to pay to take Eric (who at the time was my new boyfriend) to my homecoming dance! I ended up working at Steak 'N Shake for years (as did Eric, Heather, and Eric's siblings Ronnie and Kelley), and even continued waitressing after college for a year (at a different restaurant, though).

Working at Steak 'N Shake with Heather (this was post-high school, but you get the picture!)

I also, you know, studied and stuff. I was in honors classes and I did pretty well. I think I finished eighth in my class, so not too shabby. I also spent a lot of time my senior year applying for scholarships and grants, and received several that helped me out with my college expenses. In fact, I was the first to receive the Meadowland Scholarship, given by my neighborhood association. There was an article in the paper about me and everything!

Receiving my scholarship from the Meadowland Association
(I'm sorry, I tried not to say anything because I am grateful for the financial help these people gave me, but I can't not mention it - doesn't the guy on the left have an absolutely epic mullet?)

I feel like my four years of high school passed pretty quickly. Before I knew it, my senior year was upon me. I loved all my friends and spent much of my free time out at parties with them, at the beach, and shopping at the mall. I had a really fun time my senior year! I also got my acceptance letter from the University of Florida and began to look towards my future. The year passed quickly, and then it was time for prom and graduation and all the fun that comes along with that.

Before my senior prom with friends Erin and Beth. Funny story - I asked Eric to be my date for my senior prom and he turned me down! I will never let him forget it.

At my graduation

Receiving my diploma

High school graduate! Next stop: University of Florida!

VIDEO: Vitamin C's "Graduation (Friends Forever)," which was popular around my graduation. Ah, memories! I would listen to this song and get all sad.

At the time, I was sad to see high school come to an end. Like I said, I really did have a good time and made some great friends. When I left for college, I had the best intentions to keep in touch with everyone, but as often happens, I didn't really keep up with that. I did keep in touch here and there with a few friends (especially now thanks to Facebook) but even still, years had passed since I had seen them...until this past weekend. So, it was really wonderful to get caught up with some of these friends once again! Stay tuned for that in my next post.

What are your memories from high school like? Did you love it? Hate it? If you could, would you go back?

Do You Remember...

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I'm on my way to Florida today for my 10 Year High School Reunion this weekend. I'm pretty excited about it. I didn't do a very good job of keeping in contact with my high school friends, although Facebook helps a little bit. So, I'm excited to see people I haven't seen in so long and get caught up!

In light of my impending reunion, I have been thinking back to my high school years - both the changes I went through personally, and also what the world was like at that time. I thought in honor of this anniversary, I would do a little look back at the world during my high school years: 1996 through 2000. I wanted to reminisce about news events, popular culture, fashion, music, etc. I hope that you'll read through these lists and have some "oh, yeah! I remember that!" moments. Are you ready? Let's see how times have changed!

During my freshman year, 1996-97...

• Bill Clinton defeated Bob Dole in the 1996 Presidential Election to win his second term.
• The JonBenet Ramsey murder dominated the headlines.
• Madeline Albright became the first female Secretary of State.
• Scientists successfully cloned a sheep named Dolly.
• A jury sentenced Timothy McVeigh to death for his part in the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing.
• Life was discovered on Mars.
• There were race riots in my hometown of St. Petersburg, Florida.
• A civil jury found O.J. Simpson liable for the deaths of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman.
• Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. were murdered.
• Tiger Woods turned professional at the age of 20.
• Tickle-Me-Elmo was the must-have toy.
• At the Grammy Awards, Album of the Year was awarded to Celine Dion's Falling Into You, and Eric Clapton's "Change the World" was the Song of the Year. Leann Rimes was the year's Best New Artist.
• Alanis Morrissette's Jagged Little Pill was the #1 selling album in 1996.
• Other popular songs included Toni Braxton's "Unbreak My Heart," Keith Sweat's "Twisted," Blackstreet's "No Diggity," the Spice Girls' "Wannabe," and the classic "Macarena."
• Rent won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1996 (and is still one of my favorites today!).
• The English Patient won the Oscar for Best Picture. 
• Other popular movies included Romeo & Juliet (starring Leonardo DiCaprio, who I had a major crush on), Independence Day, Jerry Maguire, Mission: Impossible, The Nutty Professor, The Preacher's Wife, and Twister.
• Madonna's performance in Evita won her a Golden Globe.
• Popular television shows included Rosie O'Donnell's talk show, Friends, X-Files, Seinfeld, Third Rock From The Sun, ER, and MTV's Singled Out. 
• Quote of the year: "Show me the money!" - Jerry Maguire 

 
During my sophomore year, 1997-98...

• Princess Diana died in a car crash.
• The Monica Lewinsky scandal broke.
• Mother Theresa died of heart failure.
• Ramzi Youssef was found guilty of the 1993 World Trade Center Bombings.
• British nanny Louise Woodward was convicted of involuntary manslaughter after shaking eight-month-old Matthew Eappen.
• Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski pled guilty and accepted a sentence of life in prison without parole.
• The 1998 Winter Olympics were held in Nagano, Japan, where Tara Lipinski won the gold in figure skating.
• Viagra was approved by the FDA.
• El Niño began wreaking havoc on the weather.
• Chris Farley died of cardiac arrest caused by a drug overdose.
• Kids cared for their Tamagotchi Nano puppies (yup, I had one).
• Beanie Babies were the must-have toy.
• At the Academy Awards, Titanic won a record 11 Oscars, including Best Picture.
• Other popular movies included I Know What You Did Last Summer, Men In Black, Scream 2, Amistad, Seven Years in Tibet, and Austin Powers.
• The Lion King won Best Musical at the Tony Awards.
• At the Grammy Awards, Album of the Year was awarded to Bob Dylan's Time Out of Mind, and Shawn Colvin's "Sunny Came Home" was Song of the Year. Paula Cole was the year's Best New Artist.
• Other popular songs included Elton John's "Candle in the Wind," Savage Garden's "Truly, Madly, Deeply," Usher's "Nice and Slow," Will Smith's "Gettin' Jiggy With It," K-Ci & JoJo's "All My Life," Britney Spears' "Baby One More Time," and Cher's "Believe."
• Other popular musicians included Jamiroqui, Hanson, Fiona Apple, Mariah Carey and the Spice Girls.
• Popular television shows included Party of Five, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Ally McBeal, and Touched By An Angel.
• Quote of the year: "Oh my god, they killed Kenny!" - South Park

 
During my junior year, 1998-99...

• The 1998 U.S. Embassy Bombings in Kenya and Tanzania (linked to Osama bin Laden) killed 224 people and injured over 4,500.
• The U.S. Congress passed the Iraq Liberation Act, which stated that the U.S. wanted to remove Sadam Hussein from power and set up a democratic government.
• Google, Inc. was founded.
• President Clinton was impeached.
• The Euro was established.
• Dr. Jack Kevorkian was found guilty of second-degree murder for administering a lethal injection to a terminally ill man.
• Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold opened fire on their classmates at Columbine High School, killing 12 students, one teacher and themselves.
• Music downloading service Napster debuted (and boy, did I love me some Napster in college).
• Apple Computer released the iBook, the first laptop computer designed for the average consumer (and man, do I love me some MacBook nowadays).
• Mark McGwire hit 70 home runs.
• Michael Jordan announced his retirement (for the second time).
• Furbies became the must-have toy (yup, had one of those, too).
• WWJD ("What Would Jesus Do") bracelets became popular.
• Shakespeare in Love won the Oscar for Best Picture.
• Other popular movies included Enemy of the State, Waterboy, Saving Private Ryan, Armageddon, There's Something About Mary, and Dr. Doolittle.
• At the Grammy Awards, Album of the Year was awarded to Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" (from the Titanic Soundtrack) was Song of the Year. Lauryn Hill was the year's Best New Artist.
• Other popular songs included Brandy & Monica's "The Boy Is Mine," Aerosmith's "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing," and Barenaked Ladies' "One Week."
• Other popular musicians included the Beastie Boys, the Dixie Chicks, Dave Matthews Band, Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync, Shania Twain and Mariah Carey.
• Popular television shows included Dawson's Creek, Felicity, Spin City, The Drew Carey Show and Friends.
• Quote of the year: "I did not have sexual relations with that woman." - President Bill Clinton

 
During my senior year, 1999-2000...

• People freaked out over Y2K.
• John F. Kennedy, Jr., his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and her sister Lauren were killed in a plane crash.
• The first version of MSN Messenger was released (another thing I got lots of use out of in college).
• Lance Armstrong won his first Tour de France.
• The world population reached 6 billion.
• The ExxonMobile merger created the largest corporation in the world.
• The final original Peanuts comic strip was published, following the death of Charles Schultz.
• George W. Bush and Al Gore won the Republican and Democratic primaries.
• Elian Gonzales was returned to his father after a very long, very public custody battle.
• MP3 players began to be popular, and personal DVD players and mobile phones were becoming much more accessible. (Remember that Nokia phone that everybody had, with the snap-on covers? Yup, had one. Gators cover, of course.)
• Power/karma beads were popular.
• At the Grammy Awards, Album of the Year was awarded to Santana's Supernatural, and "Smooth" (Santana featuring Rob Thomas) was Song of the Year. Christina Aguilera was the year's Best New Artist.
• Other popular songs included Ricky Martin's "La Vida Loca," TLC's "No Scrubs," Christina Aguilera's "Genie in a Bottle," Savage Garden's "I Knew I Loved You," Lonestar's "Amazed,"  Destiny Child's "Say My Name," and Jennifer Lopez's "If You Had My Love."
• American Beauty won the Oscar for Best Picture.
• Other popular movies included Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, The Matrix, Runaway Bride, The Sixth Sense, 10 Things I Hate About You and Big Daddy.
• Popular television shows included Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, ER, Friends, and Seventh Heaven.
• Quote of the year: "I see dead people." - The Sixth Sense 

And that was what happening in the world while I was in high school! It's hard to picture what life was like when I started my freshman year, especially as I sit here typing on my beloved MacBook, charging up my iPod for my trip this afternoon, with my cell phone beside me, using Google to put this post together (seriously, how did people live before Google? How did you like, know stuff?). Back then, I had little knowledge of the world around me, aside from stories that really dominated the headlines. Things have certainly changed. Did anything in these lists bring back memories for you?

Now that I've covered what was going on in the world during my high school years, I think it's time to look back at what happened in my personal life in those four years. Stay tuned!

Summer and Celebrities

Yesterday was the summer solstice - the longest day of the year! Did you get outside and enjoy it? Achilles and I spent the afternoon running errands and then relaxing in Central Park. The weather has been very warm here but there was a glorious breeze yesterday, so it was really very nice.

In addition to being a busy day for daylight, it was also another busy celebrity-sighting day for us. Eric was able to get out and enjoy the nice weather during lunch, when he went over to Rockefeller Center to check out their Wimbledon setup. You may remember that they did this last year, too, and it was really fun - you could play Wii tennis, eat free strawberries and cream, watch live Wimbledon coverage, take a picture with the "trophy" (via green screen) and even play tennis on a real grass tennis court. Yesterday was the kickoff for this year's event, featuring a live exhibition with tennis greats Jim Courier and Monica Seles. Eric took his lunch break to go watch, and he was able to get a great up-close view of the action.

 Jim Courier

Monica Seles

Action shot!

More tennis action

Then, on his walk home from work, Eric texted me to let me know he had stumbled upon a crowd outside the Ed Sullivan Theater. This is not unusual, as Eric is often walking past there on his way home at about the same time as celebrities are coming and going for tapings of the Late Show. It turns out that this crowd was waiting for Eminem and Jay-Z, who were performing a concert on one of the rooftops in the area. As Eric hung around for a bit, Diddy (is that still what he is going by these days?) walked past him! Eric decided to stick around, and he could even partially hear the rooftop concert from the street. Achilles and I decided to get back out into the nice weather and go join him - Achilles' first experience with celebrity stalking! Ah, a proud moment. Our efforts paid off again, and a little while later Diddy, Jay-Z and Eminem all emerged. Always fun to spot a star.

Jay-Z and Diddy

Diddy

Jay-Z

He's raising his arm in front of his face, but that's Eminem in the white shirt

And that was yesterday!

Today I am busy getting ready to head to Florida tomorrow for my 10 Year High School Reunion. Wait, what? Ten years already? Apparently so. I have a fun post or two in the works in honor of this occasion, so stay tuned!

Car Music

One of the things I really love about living in New York City is that we do not need a car. I hate driving, I hate cars, I hate car insurance, I hate car repairs, I hate traffic, I hate parking. I love that I can get wherever I'm going at my own pace on foot and not have to worry about traffic or where I'm going to park.

The only thing I miss about having a car is the music. I never, ever listen to the radio anymore. I don't even own one. As much as I prefer to not be driving, if I did have to drive, I used to love putting on some great music and singing along (loudly, and often accompanied by bad car-dancing) as I drove.

I've loved car-singing ever since I was little. I remember many family road trips that included lots of singing. And now, so many years later, when I hear those songs that we used to belt out as we drove, I think of my dad.

I give my dad a lot of the credit for my love of music. Like me, he was a marching band nerd (sorry to call you a nerd, Dad, but aren't we all?), and he continues to march with the Second Time Arounders Marching Band. We have epic disagreements over the superiority of woodwinds v. brass instruments. He also sings in a choir and has traveled abroad to perform in some amazing venues. He loved watching me march in the band and he always came to my concerts, and of course, we all love watching my sister Heather perform, too. He's always been very supportive of our musical endeavors.

And my dad was always one to crank up some good car music. I remember driving around with him and listening to classical music as a little girl. In fact, I have one very vivid memory of driving along West 54th Street back in my hometown of Parma, Ohio, past my elementary school. My dad was driving and my sister and I were in the back seat (we could never agree on who got to sit in the front, so we both sat in the back - even to this day it's weird for one of us to sit in the front!). We were very young - I can remember looking over at Heather, whose feet did not yet hit the floor of the car. I think my feet barely did. We were listening to classical music, and my dad would "conduct" along with the piece. When certain instruments were featured, he would ask us to name the instrument. Sometimes today I even find myself "conducting" along with a great piece of music, or saying "oh, the clarinets!" etc. when an instrument is featured. Your parents really stick with you, eh?

We didn't just listen to classical music, either. Sometimes we listened to soundtracks of musicals. Thanks to long trips in the car as a child, I knew every last lyric to "Phantom of the Opera" years before I ever actually saw it performed on stage.

We also listened to other artists my parents liked, including Natalie Cole. I selected the Natalie/Nat King Cole duet version of "Unforgettable" for my dance with my dad at my wedding because it made me think of our family car trips. Just recently, for some unknown reason, I was reminded of The Nylons, an acapella group we listened to in the car, too. I found the album we used to listen to on iTunes and was instantly taken back to my childhood. I could picture us all singing along to each and every song. I remembered our favorites and why we liked them. It's so amazing how music can just take you back to such a specific moment and you can remember everything you saw and heard and felt, isn't it?

VIDEO: "Bop Till You Drop," one of our favorites from The Nylons

Thanks for these great memories, Dad. Today I'll listen to some great tunes and think of you! Happy Father's Day! I love you!

Fire Alarm

This past weekend, Eric and I were oh-so-rudely awoken in the middle of the night by our smoke detector. I sort of half-woke-up several times before I realized what was going on. I would hear a beep, then a voice, then nothing. The beep and voice woke me up a little, by then when nothing else happened, I dozed right back to sleep. I have no idea how long this went on before I realized I really was hearing a voice in my house, saying "low battery." Oooh, our smoke detector is dying. Eric can sleep through pretty much anything, so I woke him up and asked him to please attend to this voice (hey, I had to go to work the next morning!). He very sweetly obliged and soon we were sleeping peacefully again.

Why is it that smoke detector batteries always die in the middle of the night?

This reminds me of a time in college when I spent the night at Eric's apartment. That was a fairly rare occurrence, because have you ever been in an apartment inhabited by four college boys? Theirs may not have been the worst apartment ever, but still...I didn't spend much time over there. That particular night, however, Eric's three roommates were out of town so we went over there for a little peace and quiet and a good night's sleep.

Much like this weekend, we woke up in the middle of the night to a periodic beeping - the smoke detector in Eric's room was signaling a low battery. It was the kind of situation where I inserted this beeping into my dreams before I actually woke up and realized what was going on. Eric got up and fussed with it (I don't remember if he changed the battery, or just fiddled with it, or switched it with the battery of another smoke detector, or what). It quieted down so we went back to sleep.

Some time later, we woke up again. You see, there were four bedrooms in this apartment, each one equipped with its own smoke detector. And now, another one was signaling low battery. Eric got it quiet again, as I recall.

And then again.

And then again.

All four smoke detectors died in the middle of that night. We spent all night long waking up and tending to smoke detectors. I don't remember how or if we ever got them all quieted down. I would bet a million dollars that Eric did not have four spare 9-volt batteries laying around, so it's possible we just tried to sleep through beeping all night. All I know is that was a very restless night.

Thinking back on that smoke detector experience made me think of one of Eric's favorite stories of my childhood. As a child, I was very scared of fire. I was terrified my house would burn to the ground in the middle of the night. That's a reasonable fear, no? So when I was little (we're talking under five years old here), I slept with a fire safety book under my pillow. Yup. That helped me feel safe. I don't know why - should the fire alarm go off, it would probably not be wise to pull out that book and read up on the proper protocol. But for whatever reason, I kept that book under my pillow.

It actually did prove rather unhelpful at one point. I remember one day my mom was using the toaster oven for something, but if memory serves me, a packet of rice cakes had been left in the toaster. (Why was there a packet of rice cakes in the toaster? I don't know.) It caught on fire and I FREAKED OUT. And even though I probably knew every single word of my fire safety book by memory - leave the house, gather your family, call the fire department, stop drop and roll - I did not run out of the house to safety. Instead, I ran to my room to get that book. Luckily, my mom was able to put out the tiny toaster fire and came to comfort me in my room. Crisis averted, but my precious fire safety book far from saved the day.

I guess the moral of this story is that my adult self should not complain about smoke detectors with low batteries. On behalf of baby, scared-of-fire me, I should just be glad to get the middle-of-the-night reminders that they work.

A very friendly smoke detector

The Tony Awards

Well, Eric and I had big plans for this past weekend: the Big Apple BBQ Festival was back (has it really been a year since I met Billy Mays?), a Naked Bike Ride (we planned to watch, not participate! Not-safe-for-work pics courtesy of Time Out NY here), and some celebrity stalking. I ended up having work all weekend, which forced us to skip most of our plans. No complaints here about the work, of course - I'm glad to have the work and it was an interesting case. But, work meant no barbecue and no naked bikers. Sigh. We did do some celebrity stalking, though!

Last night was the Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall. Eric and I briefly considered actually going to the Tony Awards until we realized the outrageous price tag on the cheapest seats in the house, so we just settled for a little red carpet action. (Although in retrospect, I kind of wish we had splurged, because it was a great show. Unfortunately, we recently had to pay for oral surgery for the dog so he kind of stole our Tony Awards money. Boo.)

  Tony Awards at Radio City

It was a pretty drizzly evening, and actually rained pretty hard as we walked out there. People in New York are crazy, though. The barricades along the red carpet were already lined with people over an hour early and in a downpour. People were SOAKED, but apparently dedicated. Crazies. Luckily, the weather cleared up in time for the action. It still drizzled a little here and there, but for the most part we could keep our umbrellas down.

Umbrellas of paparazzi and reporters along the red carpet

Once again, we saw a great number of celebrities. I think our final count was 39, although probably six or so were celebrities we have already seen. We had a pretty decent spot at the very start of the red carpet, so we caught everyone as they arrived and stepped out of their cars. The first big name we saw was Aretha Franklin, who arrived with a full-on entourage. Although I would venture to say that if you are Aretha Franklin, you are entitled to an entourage.

Aretha Franklin arriving at the Tony Awards

Another pretty well-known person we saw was Daniel Radcliffe, who was the only celebrity of the night to come over and greet his fans and sign autographs. He signed something for the poor, drenched girl in front of us, and also posed for a picture with her. She was just beside herself. She told him she had met him several times before and he said, "Oh, so sorry to not recognize you!" Isn't that cute? I'm not really a Harry Potter fan, but I now find Daniel Radcliffe adorable.

Daniel Radcliffe greeting the fans

Of course, Broadway stars were everywhere. (Duh.) Some of my favorites that we spotted included Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth, Bernadette Peters (although we didn't get a photo), Jonathan Groff, and the two I most wanted to see - Lea Michele and Matthew Morrison! Somehow, I managed to avoid leaping over the barricades and attacking Matthew Morrison, don't worry. I'm not sure how it happened, but I was the very picture of restraint. And I can now say I have seen every major star of Glee except Jane Lynch. I must go on a Sue Sylvester hunt to complete my collection.

Idina Menzel. The last time we saw her, she was super-casually dressed walking down the street just about a block from our apartment, possibly to/from rehearsal for something? She was dressed much fancier for the Tony Awards, I must say.

Kristin Chenoweth is always adorable. I love her.

Angela Lansbury

Jonathan Groff is clearly waving to me and only me. Also, Lea Michele is right beside him.

Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff again

Matthew Morrison. Swoon.

We saw tons of other well-known folks as well, including Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones (who won the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical), Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith, Kelsey Grammer, Helen Mirren, Green Day, Christopher Walken, Paula Abdul, Liev Shreiber, Stanley Tucci, Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds. (At one point, I had Matthew Morrison to one side and Ryan Reynolds to the other - where do you look? What do you do? So much eye candy, so little time!)

Kelsey Grammer and his wife Camille in their limo

Green Day

Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones (I loved her acceptance speech!)

Paula Abdul

Liev Shreiber
 

Ryan Reynolds, looking handsome even in a super-blurry picture

Eric and I also spotted a couple of people that went unnoticed by those around us. I was pretty excited to see Buddy Valastro, better known as the Cake Boss on his show on TLC. (For those of you who are unfamiliar, he is a baker from New Jersey who makes the most incredible cakes! He made the cake for the Tony Awards last night.)

Cake Boss Buddy with his wife

The other person we saw who went unnoticed was Mark Sanchez, former USC quarterback and current quarterback for the New York Jets. He arrived with Jamie-Lynn Sigler, and the crowd stayed quiet as he got out of his car and waved. Eric recognized him immediately and when he asked, "nobody knows Mark Sanchez, quarterback of the Jets?" he was met with blank stares from the crowd around us. Ha! That's a "no." Apparently the Broadway and sports worlds don't usually collide in such ways.

Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Mark Sanchez

 

Mark Sanchez peeking through the crowd

Of course, we also saw many current Broadway performers that we did not recognize until later on when we watched the show. I am ashamed to admit that, and this whole Tony Awards event made me realize that we need to get back to the theater soon. When we first moved here we saw quite a few in a short amount of time, but it has been quite a while since we've been to a show together. I have three on my list that I am dying to see right now (West Side Story, In the Heights and Promises, Promises with Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes), and there are many more that I would certainly not be sad to see. I'm also keeping my eye on South Pacific, which is set to leave Broadway in August - it is rumored that my beloved Matthew Morrison may return to Broadway to reprise his role as Lt. Cable for the show's final weeks. All I have to say about that is YES, PLEASE. 

Speaking of Matthew Morrison on Broadway, he and Lea Michele also performed two great numbers at the Tony Awards last night that I loved. In case you missed it, check it out:

VIDEO: Matthew Morrison and Lea Michele perform at the 2010 Tony Awards

And that was our latest celebrity-stalking adventure! We have really turned this into a bit of a sport, haven't we?

Usual note: If you want to see the complete list of our sightings at the Tony Awards Red Carpet, please refer to my NYC Celebrity Sightings Page, and/or the album on my photo share site!