121 - Duct Tape

We all know that duct tape was one of the greatest inventions ever.  Forget the telephone, television, car, motorcycle, or microwave.  Duct tape surpasses those inventions, hands down.  After all, you cannot secure audio cables (to make sure no one trips over them) with a microwave!

Today was a day off for the actors, but I went down to the theatre anyway.  Caryl and others were there for dry tech, and I took the time to tape down the cables to the keyboard and amp.  Because 'they' took duct tape one step further and you can now get it in colors, me and my handy dandy roll of black duct tape were hard at work most of the afternoon.  I even used it to cover up the white writing on the backs of the amps, and secure a platform for one amp to sit on.

What would we do without duct tape?
TTFN!

120 - A Chorus of Sniffles

Rehearsal on Saturday was from noon until 6. Lots of great work was done. At 6pm, we were still finishing the run through. I’ve said before that this is a very moving show, and yesterday afternoon was proof of that. Most of the actors who were not in the scene were sitting out in the theatre. As Frank and Ann were singing, they were accompanied by piano and a chorus of sniffles. From the playwright/composer to the director to virtually every actor watching, eyes were full. One actor on stage was fighting to keep tears from spilling over, and you could see the tracks of tears through another’s makeup.

We found out that there is actually a group of Australian and New Zealand war brides that live in Jacksonville, and they’re hoping to come to one of our matinees. I tried to find out some information online, but all I found (thus far) is that around 7,000 Australian women came to America as war brides. It will be so exciting when this group comes to see this show. I can’t begin to imagine the sniffles we’ll hear that day.

I emailed Frances after I got home about the day’s rehearsal. I doubt she would mind me posting part of her reply: “You know, at times it is hard for me to believe, too, how strongly it affects all of you and certainly me, after knowing the story inside and out. The reason it happens is, I believe, the emotional investment that all of you make throughout the show, leading up to those final moments -this is what gives it such tremendous impact.”

TTFN!

119 - FIRE!

The temps finally dropped.  Worked from home (in "break/fix" mode) and had the fire going by 7:30 in the morning.  It was a great morning!

Stay warm...

118 - Thanksgiving

It's Thanksgiving.  What is more positive than that?  It was a great day - spending time with my folks (VERY thankful for that), friends that I feel I've known forever, and friends that have recently come into my life.  Food was wonderful!

Wishing every one peace and a full belly today.

TTFN!

117 - Direction

I'm still fascinated with this thing called theatre.  It's hard to believe that 4 years ago at this time, being on this side of the 4th wall was still just a dream.  Aussie is show number 5, but it's the 4th show in the last 15 months.  In so many ways, I do feel like I'm living my dreams... well, I guess I am, actually.

Anyway, back to today's positive.  Direction.  I have enjoyed watching Caryl direct this show.  Each rehearsal, she finds a way to challenge us; challenge us to dig deeper as actors, to not take our character for granted, to find a way to capture the audience.  It amazes me to see her vision, to know that she can see beyond what we are putting forth at this point in time to what this show can possibly be next Friday when we open.  (Holy shit! Next Friday!!!)

Tonight's rehearsal, while hard, was positive because she challenged us.  I like that.  I like not being micro-directed, but guided while directed.

TTFN!

116 - Shutterbug

I just love digital cameras.  Took my camera to rehearsal tonight, and just snapped away.  No flash so as to not disturb anyone.  118 pics.  If only a handful come out, that's fine.  It is still fun.  And I learned a little about my camera and how to try to keep non-flash photos from blurring. 

Oh, and this camera - it's the same one that was on the porch railing in TN in the pouring down rain.  We found it the next morning.  Gotta love Sony.

TTFN!

115 - The "Nephew"

Though I'm an only child, I'm fortunate enough to have some very, very close friends whom I refer to as my "sisters".  Which is why I do have a "nephew."  Today has been one of those blah days.  Nothing good; nothing bad.  Just blah.  But this evening, LCB came through with her "Top 10 - 14 Month Pics" of ACB.  Pics of him never fail to brighten my day and make me smile.  I hope they make you smile as well.

TTFN!

114 - Day of Rest

As crazy as life can be and as busy as it has been with work and back to back shows, I took today completely off.  The only thing "productive" I did was the dishes.  Other than that, it has been relax, watch some tv, and read my book.  There's a little bit of guilt for "wasting" a day, but I'll get over it.

TTFN!

113 - Rogue Cat

I've been letting Oliver in the back yard for a while now that it's fenced in.  He doesn't try to jump the chain link, though sometimes he does climb the privacy part.  If he climbs the privace fence, he heads for the roof, so I just have to get him down.  Not a big deal.  Well, I've had a couple piece of firewood blocking the gate where he can just walk between the gate and the fence post (of the chain link fence).  Evidently, the fire wood had fallen down or he pulled it down because this morning he waltzed right out.  For 4 hours he was gone.  The positive - he came back home w/out a scratch on him and it was before I had to leave for rehearsal.

Trust me - for now the pieces of firewood are bunjied to the fence and soon I'll put a more permanent block up.  I value my boy too much to have him getting out!

TTFN!

112 - There's No Place Like Home

Mother was released from the hospital today and is home again.  I'm sure that if she had rubby red slippers, she would have been clicking her heals together for the last four days.  At least now she's home and doing well.  It doesn't get much more positive than that.

111 - Slow Down

Fortunately, the massive amount of email inquiries I was getting first of this week due to auditing our written business records have slowed down substantially.  Which means, so I can.  And, I could spend time in the kitchen this morning to finish my chicken stuff, pack it all up, give some to TAC, and take some down to Mother and Dad's house.  Yea!

Mother was moved out of CVU into a regular room, and she's allowed to get up and walk around.  Hopes are that she will be released on Sunday, but if not, there's always Monday.

Another positive - a new friend from the ITW cast will be joining our mis-mash of people for Thanksgiving dinner.  I'm so glad Mother didn't cancel Thanksgiving!!!!

Until tomorrow ...

110 - Chicken Stuff

Ok.  I admit that the bottom photo isn't the most appetizing, but I didn't want to wait until the chicken had cooled enough to de-bone before writing my blogs.  So, instead of finding some pretty picture online, you get the ugly truth!  :-)

Lots of positives today - Mother is still in CVU, but doing well.  Docs say she'll be there another 3 or 4 days.  That said, they caught this while she was still asymptomatic ... but we are certainly VERY GLAD as the symptoms are not something any of us want to wait for!

Gratitude and positive are intermingling as I guess they can.  I am so glad that I have a job where I can work from wherever I have a high speed connection, and I work for a company that seriously does put family first.

It's also a positive that I don't mind cooking, and plan on turning this ugly chicken into my "chicken guts" (as I so lovingly call it).  Chicken guts is like my chili - I make so much that I don't have a pot big enough to add enough liquid.  So, you basically get what goes in chicken soup without a lot of the soupy part.  I'll take some chicken stock (which I have from cooking the bird this afternoon) along with the 'guts' so Dad, and eventually Mother, can make it the consistency they like it.  Everything in it is on the "OK" list for what she can eat since she's now on Coumadin.

A special shout out to my new friend and cast mate SCW.  She's a CCU nurse, and took the time to send me a long, detailed email explaining everything.  Angel ... that's what she is.

Blessings and good health to all ...

109 - Angels With Only One Wing

Tonight, I'm taking a page from my friend Michael and writing about gratitude.  With Mother in the hospital again, I'm so, so very grateful for the friends I have in my life.  Some I've known for 30 years or more; some not even a year.  And yet they have wrapped arms of love around me and my family.  Sometimes, I'm overwhelmed with the wonderful people that are in my life.  I must have done something really good in a previous life to deserve them.

Hugs to everyone.

"We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can fly only by embracing each other."
lucian de crescenzo

108 - Someone We Like

Somehow, Diva and Oliver both ran out of food at the same time and Oliver also needed another pint of medicine.  So at lunch, I went first to PetSmart to get Diva's food, then down to Greenbrier to get Oliver's food and meds.  I walked over to the shelf to get a 20lb bag of food when Jennifer says, "No, no, wait!"  Huh?  She brought out a 20lb bag of his food with a note on it.  She says, "Happy Holidays.  The bag has a hole in it, so we can't sell it, so it's yours."  WOW.  As I was getting ready to leave, Lisa (another one of the front desk people) got off the phone and says to me, "We decided that when someone needed this and it was someone that we liked, we were just going to give it to them."

I'm glad I'm someone that they like, not only because they saved me over $45 today but because I like them too.

TTFN!

107 - 1006

Last March seems like a long time ago.  That is when the Lady Vols had their earliest exit from the NCAA Women's National Tournament.  So early, it was shocking.  The winningest coach in the history of college basketball (men or women) and the winningest program in women's college basketball ... the team lost in the first round.  Last year's team was not your typical Tennessee team.  After the team lost back to back games in Feb., Pat kicked them out of their locker room saying they weren't worthy to use it.

Today, the 2009/2010 season started.  UT was pre-season ranked #9, which Pat said was very generous.  They played Baylor, ranked #4.  And yes, they won.  This is still a young team, not a senior on the squad, and they struggled in the first half.  But they listed to Coach take them to task at half time and responded well.

Why is this a positve?  Because I love women's college basketball and am glad the season has started.  The women's game, because they pretty much don't have a dunk, is a more true form of basketball than the men's.  You can see them set and run the plays.  They have to work as a team.  In addition to that, the women's game focuses on academics.  If a UT player has a GPA of 3.0 or higher, there's a patch she wears on the right shoulder of her uniform.  Most all of the UT players wear that patch.  A starter who graduated 2 years ago and is now playing pro ball (WNBA) carried a 3.7 GPA and a triple major: sociology/criminal justice, political science and legal studies.  These young women are not "dumb jocks".

My blog title, 1006?  Today was Pat Summitt's 1006th win.  When asked if she's going to let the players back into their locker room, her reply was "Let's see how they play on Sunday."

Let the season begin!!!!

106 - Tissues Needed

Rehearsal today was great.  Musically, we worked on the two "big" numbers in Act 1.  Even though my character is only in Act 2, I'm in "the crowd" (chorus) for these songs.  I don't want to give away too much of the show, but in both of these, the actors had tears in their eyes by the end of the song.  Our comments afterwards were that we think ABET needs to strategically place small boxes of tissues in each row.  Don't get me wrong - these are not "sad" songs, per se.  They are, however, touching and emotional.  And while it's no longer 1942, we still face similar issues and on some level can relate to this part of the story.

I must have not been listening at some point, or maybe it was left to just figure out ... one of our actors is the granddaughter of Teddy, the main character in the show.  I knew that she knew Frances (playwright) and Wendy (choreographer), but didn't know how.  Today I asked her, "How long have you known Frances?"  She was a little at a loss for words when she answered, "Well, she's my mom."  And Wendy?  She's her sister.  Now, how cool is that?  We're putting on a show about a real family who lives here in Jacksonville, and not only are some of the characters we're portraying coming to see the show, their "youngins" are actually involved in it.

I still hope and pray we can do this show justice for the Key family.  So far, it's sounding good.

TTFN!

105 - Friday

Not every day has a glowing positive about it, but the fact that it is Friday can sometimes be positive enough.  Another positive is the fact that I can work from home at times, which lessens the stress.  On this Friday, the temps were perfect for having the windows open and the sliding door open.  Oliver, bless his heart, is making the most of being allowed outside.  He did not come in for any length of time until late afternoon.  He sat outside watching the birds and the squirrels and soaking up the sun.

TTFN!

104 - Texas Rehearsal

Tonight's rehearsal was the scene's I'm in in Act II, and I got to work with Mama Key for the first time.  I like this role, and I really like that I'm singing again.  (Don't get me wrong - I LOVED doing Murders.)  So many have told me that ballads are my strength, and the solo that I have in this show is a low ballad that sits for the most part in the sweet part of my chest voice.  Even though it's not memorized yet, it felt good tonight.

And I am SO loving working with Caryl (director).  I just want to sit there and soak up everything she's saying.  Folks are going to love this show.

TTFN!

103 - Ahhh

When we started rehearsing Murders, I needed to make an appointment with my hair dresser badly, but since we weren't using wigs and I needed to pull my hair back, I figured I could survive until now.  It was tough!  But today was the day that I was finally able to put myself in Greg's hands for 90+ minutes of pampering and checking out from the world.  He was surprised at how much I wanted taken off (it just reaches my shoulders now), but after going 5 months without a cut or highlights being touched up, I was ready for some of the weight to be gone.  I'm happy with it, and if I weren't, it grows fast. 

My friend TKJ also sent me an email with some icanhascheezburger cats, which I dearly love.  My fav is at the bottom.

TTFN!

This was my fav ........

But I had to post this too because he looks just like Spaz, my cat I lost in 2006.  He would lie on my shoulders like that too.  <3

102 - Cookin'

I have a rare evening at home, and instead of cleaning and catching up on the mundane chores that are so easy to ignore, I spent the evening in the kitchen.  One HUGE pot of chili later (I'm talking almost 8 quarts of very condensed chili, must add liquid), and friends / family will have their containers in time for the cool spell about to visit us.  It also gives me some meals when rehearsals get a little busier again.  And yes, the chores will be there when I'm ready.  Diva and Oliver don't complain.

Speaking of the kids ... Diva has gotten a little rambunctious in getting Oliver to come in from the back yard.  Today, Oliver took a nice little tumble as they were both racing for the back door.

TTFN!

101 - He's Back!

Today, SGC, my Sr. Developer, returned after 2 weeks off.  I am SO GLAD he is back as now I can go back to doing my job instead of both of our jobs.  And to think that next Monday, I should have a full staff again.  Me, 3 developers and a part-time researcher.

TTFN!

100 Days

A milestone - my 100th positive daily blog.  100 days ago, I started the 46-365 project to post something positive about each day with the hope of finding the positive in each day.  And for the most part it is working.  On those really bad days, it forces me to start thinking "OMG, what am I going to post tonight!?" and with that start looking for the positive.  An unexpected by-product of the blog is the kinship with my fellow bloggers.

Today's positive is my blog.  I'm glad I started this project.

TTFN!

99 - Final Bow

It was an incredibly awesome run, selling out 5 of our 7 shows, but After the Murders: The Quest of Lizzie Borden took its final bow Saturday night.  Our closing night audience was as good as our opening night audience.  They fed us lots of energy, were 'into' the play.  The cast left it all on the stage, giving what I think was probably our best performance - I know it was mine.

Sometimes it's hard to close a show, to put a character away.  I had a lot of character development for Emma, and it feels in some ways like a friend has left.  Emma was overshadowed by the psycho Lizzie, so I had to show her turmoil through facial expressions and body language more than through my lines.  I felt this character grow through each show, and it seemed that just as we were finding our grove, we took our last bow.  That's the lot of community theatre.

As I've said throughout the rehearsal and run of this show, we had a remarkable cast.  Jack cast each role perfectly, in my opinion.  Only one of my cast mates had I worked with before, so my theatre family has grown again.  There are a couple that, without a doubt, I will keep in touch with even if we never walk the boards together again.

Another shout out to all of my friends and colleagues who came to see After the Murders.  You humble me with your patronage of the shows I'm in, and I appreciate more than I can say your support of me and of our community theatres.

ABET is dark now until December 4th when we open Aussie Song.  Emma fades as Mama Key starts to take hold.  It is good know that I'm stepping right into my next theatre project.  I hope to see all of you when the house lights come up again.

TTFN!

98 - Front Row

48 hours after Mother was in the hospital for a TIA and 24 hours after she was released, she, Dad and Suzann were sitting in the front row at After the Murders.  How much more positive can a day get?

TTFN!

97 - Stars Align

I called my mother on the way to rehearsal last night and Dad answered with a terse, "I have to call you back. Bye."  With that statement, I knew something was wrong.  He called me back and said they were at the hospital.  Mother had suddenly started slurring her speech, so Dad rushed her to the emergency room.  The condition cleared up after about 15 minutes, but the staff at Baptist South took no chances.  They put her through every scan, test, etc., to make sure there was no blockage, no aneurism, no nothing.  And that's what the tests confirmed ... no nothing.  Since I've had an MRI on my brain, I had license to tease my mother that they examined her head and found nothing.  Empty up there.  Like mother like daughter.

While this was not fun and we certainly don't want it repeated, there are many, many positives.  The first being that she's ok.  Yes, it's a wake up call, but she's fine.  The staff, nurses, therapists and doctors at Baptist South were just phenominal.  Dad said they had her in a wheel chair and back to start tests before he started filling out paperwork.  The folks that I met today were kind, humorous. 

I'm very, very glad that they are in FL and not still up in TN.  Baptist South is a straight shot up I-95 from their home, and Dad had her there at 20 minutes after 5. 

Our family is not a touchy, feely type of family, but we do love each other.  We show we care by being there, joking around and finding humor.  My grandfather told me that if he didn't love me, then he wouldn't tease me, pull my hair, etc.  I am extremely grateful to the universe for aligning everything to work out so well.

Love-n-Light

96 - Enthusiastic Pianist

Went to Aussie Song rehearsal tonight and met our new music director / pianist.  What a fun person!  Aaron has worked in theatre as a musician as well as on stage.  It was so much fun watching her work with our 3 "sailors", her head bopping to the music, making faces (both good and bad).  I am looking forward to working with her more.

Speaking of shows ... After the Murders only has 2 shows left, and Friday night is already sold out.  It's absolutely amazing how well this show has done. 

TTFN!

95 - Done.

It has been a day.  The problems with GA MLS reared it's ugly head again today, as well as it being end of month.  After starting on some emails before 7 this morning, it's now 7:30pm and I've finally logged off of work.  The positive - I don't have to do anything else this evening but watch tv and relax.

Follow-up from yesterday's blog:  Oliver had 2 BM's today! 2!!  That's a record so soon after a procedure.  He's a happy kitty again.

TTFN!

94 - Burrito Kitty

Oliver and I had to make an unplanned trip to the vets this morning.  The office staff and techs call him the "Burrito Kitty" or "Taco Kitty" because all I do is wrap him in a towel to take him in.  I literally roll the towel around into a handle and carry it.  This pic is Oliver peeking out of the towel once I set him down in the exam room.

Of course, when Dr. G walked in and lifted the towel, Oliver promptly hissed at her.  After his procedure, he rolled in some of the leakage and stunk to high heaven.  When I went to pick him up, they had me go in the back to clean him up before taking him home.  The "Mr. Hyde" part of him comes out at the vets - they have to put a towel over the cage he's in because he constantly hisses and growls at everyone. 

As always, he was happy to come home.  While him having to have another procedure is not a positive thing, the fact that I have a wonderful vet and clinic to take him to is.  They give him the best of care even with all his noises.

TTFN!

93 - Change

Clocks were rolled back this morning, so we all had an extra hour in this day.  Temperatures dropped.  Hammock is back out (and Oliver thought it was cool to lay on Mom's stomach while she's in the hammock).  Long nap during the boring part of the Talladega race.  Some chores caught up.  Restful, relaxing day.  Life is good.

TTFN!

92 - Preparation

It's Halloween and our high was supposed to be 88.  I moved "north" to get away from many things, but one of those was the absense of winter.  One thing I do love about Jacksonville is that I can have a fire in the fireplace.  The only thing to today's "To Do" like was to visit my wood guy and get a truck load full of firewood.  Of course, having to unload the truck when the temps were in the upper 80's sure wasn't "fun", at least I'm prepared for winter ... when it finally gets here.

TTFN!