A (sort of) review of Superstar

The first time I saw Jesus Christ Superstar, I was appalled at the way that Jesus was being depicted. My religious upbringing focused on a narrow view of Jesus as someone who was out to punish us for minor offenses and had no room for any other interpretation. I have learned so much since then.

I know how that there are various ways to tell and to understand the story, and if a rock-n-roll version is what catches someone’s attention, then so be it. I have had so many good conversations on what the Bible says (and what it doesn’t) with some very intelligent people who have opened my eyes to the fact that I had been seeing a white-washed version of Jesus. You know, the version that depicts Jesus as a European man? I now even know where that likeness stems from. (Hint: google Cesare Borgia.)

I don’t know when my mindset changed. I just know it has. (Hell, even Sir Andrew Loyd Webber didn’t like the film version, so I am in good company.) I have learned to have a love for all things Broadway. When that first chord of “Superstar” played I got chills. It’s like that when I hear “Phantom,” too. When Superstar premiered, having a black lead was seen as blasphemous, yet Jesus was a man born in a middle Eastern country that more likely has brown skinned people than light skinned ones.

Funny thing...I have seen The Ten Commandments many times and I never thought twice about Anne Baxter playing Nefertiri until I watched it last night. For that fact, Charleston Heston as Moses, Liz Taylor as Cleopatra....I guess it’s just what we have done. But now with the diverse cast of Hamilton....I mean, George Washington, Aaron Burr, Thomas Jefferson were all European men and they are all being played by POC. For a while, I only thought having a diverse cast was okay only when the characters were fictional. Not any more...so I guess the cast of Ten Commandments should get a pass, too.

Anyway, Superstar was AMAZING!!  If you missed it, you missed a good one. Put aside your long-held beliefs and give it a chance if you haven’t before. Open your eyes and I know you will love it!

Yep! You guessed it!

I’m seeing this so often right now that I just have to say something. Yes, this is going to be a GRAMMAR RANT!!!

Let me first give you some examples of what I’m seeing. This was just on Twitter:

“I’m so glad the members of @SoulTreeNation could join @JenniL_KVUE @JasonM_KVUE and I on Daybreak this morning. This talented group of young musicians will pay tribute to band member Draylen Mason who was killed in the #AustinBombings at the @UrbanMusicFest today.”

You might wonder what exactly is wrong here. Well, it’s the use of “I” in this tweet that is incorrect. How do I know? Take out the sentence and look at it like this: would you say “I’m glad they joined I this morning,” or would you say “I’m glad they joined me this morning”?

It’s easy! So why is it so hard????

So when is “I” appropriate? Here’s an example I found:

a. Jenny and me/I (?) joined the chess club.
b. Jill took Justin and me/I (?) to the shop. 

In sentence a), Jenny and me/I are the subjects of the verb joined. Therefore, the subject pronoun, I, is considered correct. You will certainly hear native speakers say, “Jenny and me,” and it may be acceptable in spoken English, but most traditional grammarians and English teachers will disapprove. Don’t use it in writing. 

The opposite is true for sentence b), which is the original example from above. Justin and me/I are the objects of took. Therefore me is considered correct by most grammarians and teachers, although you will hear people say, “Justin and I.” Again, don't use it in writing.

All you have to do is break the sentence apart ant if it sounds right, then it’s right. Period.

Time management

Today at work, we had a training class on time and information management. The man who presented the class was a successful time management consultant who also previously worked in the hotel industry. He made some really good points so I thought I would share a couple with you.

One thing he touched on is how we don’t end our work day at the end of each day. Instead, we take things home with us that keep up awake at night which causes all kinds of other problems. One tip he gave us was to keep a daily diary that includes a to-do list. The to-do list is fluid and if everything doesn’t get finished that day, it’s okay. It can be finished tomorrow. Maybe it’s not as important as we may think it is, so he suggested not stressing if you don’t complete all tasks and this will help with the sleepless nights.

As for the to-do list, he suggests trying to complete it before noon (but again don’t stress if something comes up to keep that from happening). Giving yourself a noon deadline allows for those things that come up that you can’t control. It gives time in the afternoon to face the other things that the day will present. Meeting should be scheduled in the afternoon, and never on a Monday morning.

One final thing he suggested...plan your weekend on Monday. It gives you something to look forward to and a goal to work toward. We work for FEMA which means a lot of people are here from somewhere else. If you find yourself in that type of situation, find something to do that makes you happy. Our presenter joined a rowing club and he goes out on the weekends to row. I have another Co-worker who has been taking dance lessons and one who does yoga at a local gym.

Maybe one of these tips will help you. Me? I’m looking for my calendar that I bought at the beginning of the year that I haven’t been using. Time to start getting more organized.

I haven’t done this in a while...not sure why except that life gets in the way. I have been putting my views on Twitter and Facebook, and I have been trying to use Instagram more. I just find that I get lost in life and neglect the blog.

Since my last post, I have sold my house and moved to Austin. I think it was a good move. I’m doing better here than I was in Beaumont and that’s only a good thing.

Since I recently learned how to do threads on twitter, I’m not sure if a blog is necessary, but I’m still going to try to blog some. I guess I got out of the habit because of the circumstances I was in and probably from some depression that I was dealing with. So, if you want to read my blog and have never been here before, welcome! Look around and comment. Let me know what you think.

But know that I won’t deal with hate. I know how to remove anyone who lets hate take over.