June 20, 2003

From: "Mitchell"
To: "Abbey"
Subject: *don't let the disappointment show*
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 17:52:31 +0000

howdy,
i don't know if you're at the school or whether you'll be reading this today
or sometime early next week, but should your plans with bonnie fall through,
please give me a call. heck, you can call me for anything (except to make
fun of my mother). i gotta run (going out for lunch with my sister, dr.
jessica [she passed her dissertation defense. both of my parents
weeped. it was touching, and that means a lot coming from a sociopath]).
ummm, when i have a minute, i'd like to defend 'joseph' and tell you all
about it. its a wonderful musical. really. donny osmond.... purrrrrrr.
goodbye,

reuben (or rueben [one of joseph's many brothers])

~if you desire peace of soul and happiness, then believe; if you would be a
disciple of truth, then inquire.~

---------------------------------------------------

From: "Mitchell"
To: "Abbey"
Subject: go go joe
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 20:50:45 +0000

joseph: imagine me, a young grade seven (seven? or eight?) student
travelling to the albertan provincial capital from the horrid dread that is
cold lake to watch 'joseph'. imagine the excitement of watching my first
musical (or did i lose my musical virginity to the phantom? i don't
remember now) after weeks of donny osmond's smiling face in the tv
advertisement for the show. i was set. donny was to entertain me for an
hour and a half. when we arrived, there were rumours that donny may not be
performing because of a mystery illness (i found out last year that it was
during this time that donny osmond was canceling shows b/c of his bouts with
depression. actually, the shows weren't being canceled, instead, someone
else was filling in as joseph). would it be donny osmond singing and acting
for me, or some other dolt? the tension. the tension. at showtime, i was
delighted when donny stepped out on stage and began singing 'any dream will
do'. my heart stopped. from start to finish, donny was shining. i wanted
to be one of the chorus kids who gave up their summer to do the show. i
knew all the words. soon my desire changed. instead i wanted to be a
brother. yes, either rueben or simeon (thats probably who your brother was)
to be specific. i could sing 'one more angel in heaven' and 'those canaan
days' like a bird (my voice hadn't deepened yet). but, somehow i missed my
casting call. shucks, darnit. fast forward to the fine summer of 1998 and
again i went and saw 'joseph'. this time it was in winnipeg, with donny
osmond's nephew in the lead (big deal). again, i was mesmorized. i still
think that theres a chance that i could land a place in the cast. i'd be
the best rueben/simeon. then you could say, "yeah, y'know that mitchell
k? i knew him gooooood." if that were to fall through, i'd also
settle as being marius from 'les mis' (i've always fancied myself a bit of a
lover/dreamer), or if thats too ambitious, i'd happily be courfeyrac ("the
blood of the martyrs will water the meadows of fr____ance!"). i've never
seen 'j.c. superstar', though i've heard the music. i feel its
mediocre-to-reasonable (i can hear you groaning).

did i say that my parents 'weeped'? i think i meant 'wept'.

i just spent $27 on cheese. how perfect? cheese is the sole food that
keeps me from becoming a vegan. no joke.

i don't think melanie makes fun of you at all. in fact, i'd say she's
rather fond of you.

i thought that i was beyond the point of getting a sunburn. yesterday i
learned how wrong i was. my upper-chest region is like a cherry. very
painful. i'm a mimosa: if you touch my shoulders/chest, i collapse. my mom
says i shouldn't go outside, but what does she know? not very much, it
would seem. in fact, i'm going to go serenade the birds right now.
have fun with your test. make sure jack doesn't cheat, that little rat
(ha).

regards,
mitchell

~if you desire peace of soul and happiness, then believe; if you would be a
disciple of truth, then inquire.~