friday fiesta! no politics, please.

It felt like forever since I've been with my brothers!

In truth, it's only been three weeks since I was at Jalapenos with them.

I guess that's a sure sign of how much I value these family and friends dinners on Fridays!

Here, in this shot of the guys' side of the table, we had just gotten our meals.

Tony was down talking with Jimmy and Mark, while Smitty was getting ready to dig in to his special.

And here we are with the gals' side of the table!

Remember, it's the same configuration every time, unless they choose a different restaurant. 

From the far end, that's Becca, Betsy, Mary, and Laura (though she isn't in the frame of this shot).

I must say, Laura and I had a great time talking about a trip she had last week to honor one of her coworkers.

I'm so glad the company that took over Azalealand shows real interest in making things better there!

As for me, I was at the end of the table, positioned between Tony and Laura, as usual.

I even ordered my usual trio of crunchy beef tacos - cRUncH!!!

But here's where it varied: Tony stood.

Instead of sitting like all the others, he pushed aside his chair and STOOD.

He had offered to help me into one of the high-top chairs, as he and Laura had done for me three weeks ago, but I declined.

And that's when he must have decided to stand along with me.

He didn't make a fuss about it, or even mention that he was doing so, he just quietly stayed on his feet the whole time I was on mine... which was the usual two hours we were all together.

Thank you, my youngest brother, for that choice.

That really showed I was special to you.

He and the other guys, plus Laura and Becca, showed that again later after we'd had a visit by Josh Cowart.

His dad, Larry, had been a regular customer when I worked with Smitty, and his wife died a few months ago.

It seems that Larry, now 76 years old, is dating again.

That sparked a conversation about how long someone should after a spouse dies before they get back in the pool again.

I'm glad Josh had already left.

Mary made a comment about Larry using his money to attract women, and, silly me, I saw that as an opening.

"Well, that's what the man in the Oval Office did. There's no reason a woman would be with him except for his money, because he's such an ugly man."

Betsy jumped in with "Who are you talking about?"

Mary said, "She's talking about the President."

Boy howdy, we were off to the races then!

Both of them started spouting rhetoric about Melania not having needed to marry him for his money, that she was rich from being a model when she met him and so I was wrong, wrong, wrong about that.

They were so fired up that I just shut my mouth and let them simmer down.

I was not about to tell them they were wrong.

When Donald and Melania met 26 years ago, she was making the rounds at parties with her agent, as models are required to do for publicity.

Yes, she was a model, newly relocated from Slovenia, and already 26 years old, making about $40,000 a year after ten years in the business, which is hardly rich, even in 2005 dollars.

She likely made more money when he included her in his Trump Modeling Agency in 1999, but that was while they were dating and before she did the nude photo shoots.

They broke up shortly after, but in 2001 got back together after she got her green card to be working in the United States.

They wed in 2005, prenuptial agreement in place, with them having separate residences and him paying her a stipend.

Odd, right?

That seems more like an action one might take with an escort, which is essentially what Melania was for him.

She didn't even have to stay the entire event with him, just be there at the start so all the media could see him in the presence of a model.

A year into the marriage, in 2006, when she was almost 35 and he was almost 60, they had one child, but that was it.

He already had three children from his first wife and one from the second, and he made it clear to Melania that he would not be helping to raise their son.

The addition of that child didn't help her relationship with Donald; in fact, he started dating models again, to escort him to public events.

What a slimy mongrel.

I feel like the others tonight were aware of the sham of that marriage, and that's why they kept silent. 

I have to wonder if Mary and Betsy are aware of how jealous Melania might be of the loving and sharing marriage and family life they have had with their husbands, a marriage with a true partner, not just as head wife of a harem.

I'll just have to remember to not speak of this particular POTUS again for another two years.

By then, the chickens will have come home to roost and his time in the Oval Office will finally be over.

Who knows what will be revealed then?

I'm glad that hiccup in the conversation was only about ten minutes. 

That hardly marred my time at Jalapenos.

Tonight was still wonderful and I look forward to the next time I can share the company of my brothers and others.

(smile!)

tfp meeting, at designated time

Can you believe that someone had the nerve to ask me where I was for the Two First Posts meeting two weeks ago?

Yep, and I think it was Kat that asked, in hearing range of her husband Mike, as well as Eric, Sabrina, and John.

I was absolutely truthful: I'm a busy, vibrant woman and I cannot, and will not, keep changing my plans just because TFP doesn't adhere to its calendar.

That had been a meeting changed to a Monday, then canceled that day. 

Had it been rescheduled back to its Tuesday slot?

Nope, it had not, so I had a movie with Ethan Hawke.

Then, all of a sudden, it was on for the Wednesday?!

No, I don't think so, I already had plans with others, as that was not designated as a TFP meeting day on the calendar.

They all got tickled at my response!

That's because they are all well aware that I am a busy, vibrant woman, as Eddie is good about using that phrase every time he sees me.

(smile!)

I like that he listens.

(smile!) 

Well, that he listens sometimes.

The door to protect TFP's tenant at 5509 Montgomery Street from those people who enter at 5511 Montgomery Street has still not been fitted with a lock.

Kat lodged a complaint at the meeting tonight about someone - like we don't all know who - has been going into the bar area and leaving a mess.

 

I suggested going through the camera footage and having the person arrested for trespass into Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.

I swear, a pin dropping would have made a huge racket after I said that!

I then added that it was akin to someone breaking into the dry cleaners or the church, noth of which are also tenants of Two First Posts.

Deep silence once again, but the message was definitely heard.

 

Mike and Kat have been busy getting their restaurant stocked with both foodstuffs and cooking utensils.

They don't need other people going in there without their permission.

Period.

Also, with all the televisions and furniture in there, it's too much temptation.

No one else needs a key to that door at 5509 except the building manager.

No one else should be in that space except the tenants, Kat and Mike, plus their staff, so the restaurant can one day open.

That's why it was important tonight that we passed a motion concerning access to the Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Barbeque and Grill. 

The motion was made, and unanimously passed, that Post 36 and Post 500 be informed that no one is allowed to use the WTF spaces except WTF. 

Eddie said he will draft a letter at once concerning that.

Yeah, that felt good to get accomplished tonight!

Meanwhile, to take action to prevent further trespass, Mike is going to install a hasp and lock on their side of that pocket door tomorrow.

(Mike will also repair the dishwasher so it works; it's currently missing a part.) 

I hope that will be done.

Trespassers will be something they don't need.

Eric is in charge of calling Home Depot to get that door measured for a more permanent solution to that problem.

He is already working with Home Depot concerning the back door on the church, as that door is swollen and cracked and presents a fire hazard, as it cannot easily be opened at this time.

Eric is a pretty big guy, and it took him and another person to open it.

How had Eric known about that particular problem?

The church had called their landlord - that would be Doug, of course - and he had contacted Eric to get it done.

Doug wasn't at the meeting, except by phone, and that was sporadic.

Billy was there, as he had been replacing various faulty electrical outlets when I had arrived around 5:30 PM.

Kat and Eric where there then, too, then Sabrina arrived and Mike returned with his and Kat's dinner. 

John came in shortly after, followed by Brenda, then Eddie.

The meeting started about 6:20 PM, which was earlier than usual, but still later than the scheduled time of 6 PM.

(Sigh.)

Eddie again said the Brenda should have copies of all leases, as well as all contracts for use of the event hall in 5511. 

The commander of Post 500 has yet to sign the contract for his event held on September 5th, nor has he paid the security deposit for that event.

Moreover, he held it over at 5509, which was the wrong location, especially as he had said it would be an outside event.

Plus, that commander has lied and said that Doug gave him permission to use the canteen for seating for the fish fry.

Seriously?!

Then Eric piped up with some blame having to be with Two First Posts, as TFP has been allowing monthly meetings of other groups to be held in the WTF space!!!

Unfortunately, he's correct, as the event room doesn't currently allow more than one group to meet at any given time, so the smaller groups - like the Navy League and the Marine Corps veterans - have been shuttled into the restaurant.

Admittedly, that was wrong, but it's because the conference room is too full of stuff and nonsense to allow it to be useful.

That needs to be rectified at once, even if it means moving that stuff into the offices designated for Post 36 and Post 500.

Get it done, Eric - you raised the issue and you're the building manager!

Fortunately, the event room doesn't have anything special scheduled.

Kat and Mike have the "Hail And Farewell" for the 68th Cavalry of Fort Stewart scheduled this week, but that will be in WTF.

They had planned to use part of that revenue to pay a portion of their October rent to Two First Posts.

However, a motion was made, initiated by Doug, that their rent for this month be waived and their first rent payment will be made on November 1st.

Believe it or not, that vote only passed by a vote of 4 to 2.

Still, Kat and Mike were so pleased that they have waived the repayment of their insurance costs from the last three months - when they still were not open due to liquor license delays - and also the repayment of the fees for the health inspection, the grease trap inspection, and various other business costs.

I suspect the reason that Sabrina and Brenda voted against that motion had to do with the current finances.

The rent checks from the other tenants, as well as that from the previous bank, are all having holds placed by Navy Federal Credit Union, as standard business practice, especially for such a new account.

Meanwhile, Sabrina is owed for the extra she paid for the alcohol permit; Brenda is owed for money she paid for TFP's electricity bill; Billy is owed for money he paid for the rolling TV cart; and Eric is owed his paychecks for August and September.

Even with the money due from the rent checks, there's not going to be much of a cushion left behind for the next utility bills coming in this month.

No fear, Doug Andrews is here to save the day, yet again!

He will meet with Sabrina at NFCU tomorrow to make the account solvent until we get some paying events in this space.

Sabrina also has permission from the TFP committee to speak with an accountant she knows about setting up recurring payments and debts, including those to come from the Georgia Lottery games as well as Queen of Hearts.

The meeting finally adjourned about 8:20 PM.

I sure look forward to shorter meetings in the near future.

Now, I'm getting some supper to enjoy while I watch "Best Medicine".

Glad I taped it! 

pink bandanna and change!

"What was the change, dear? Wasn't this a Music Bingo night?"

Yes, yes, it was, as in past tense. Apparently, the folk running the bingo had not obtained rights to play those song snippets, so they had to immediately cease. Drats. Elissa and her son, Isaac, had been told the sad tale upon their arrival at Midtown Sports Grill. So, after Marcia and I came in, we all voted to have dinner somewhere else!

"Hey, I bet I can guess where! You're at Chili's, aren't you? I'd recognize those ultra-thin tortilla chips any time!"

You're absolutely correct, my dear! Their "3 For Me" deal, and the promise of lemonade, was the winning element for Marcia. Me, too! I upped my game from the last time and had the Shrimp Cajun Alfredo - I knew I'd have leftovers from that! Marcia gave me half her fries, too. And we had tons of chips and salsa, between the one that came with my meal and her freebie from their loyalty club.

"Good deal! And you wore a pink handkerchief??"

Nope, that was from my luncheon with Kathy Mayin earlier today! My burger box was clad in that hot pink bandanna! That's the gimmick at Bandanna Burger: everyone goes home with a bandanna. And I know I called it a 'burger box', but that wasn't a beef patty in there. Nope! I ordered "The Con Artist", which was one of those new plant-based 'burgers'. It shared space on the bun with pineapple, pickles, tomato, lettuce, and onion, and was quite hearty and very tasty. Next time, though, I think I'll try their black bean patty and see how I like it. Kathy just ordered sweet potato fries. Originally, we were going to share each other's food, as this was our first time at this restaurant.

"Originally? The plans changed?"

Yeah. She decided the burger looked too messy for her, but she was still going to share the fries... up to the point where she ate the last one! I only got two of them!

"Hahahaha!"

Yes, we both laughed about that! Honestly, it was a nice place to hang out, with all those brightly colored squares of cloth all over. It reminded me of Sweet Potatoes, and how much I enjoyed that bright place on rainy days like today. We'll both have to come here again!

no Earl, no Elf, no Doctor Pomatter

I had wondered how "Waitress: The Musical" would be used for this first God On Broadway sermon, as it deals with a lot of issues concerning marriage,  mothers and daughters, coping with stress, and pregnancy.

I even used a Comcast reward a week ago to make sure all the songs were fresh in mind!

After all, the filmed musical came out in 2023 and there have been a lot of other musicals since that one.

I had hoped to be at Asbury Memorial in person, but my hip is just not that ready for that kind of action early in the day, so I watched on Facebook.

 

That worked in my favor, as I could take screenshots!

Michelle Meese has the lead role of 'Jenna' and here she is in the first scene.

She was so perfect in the Sara Bareilles role!!!

The show at AsbMemCh began as did the musical, with "What's Inside".

 

That led directly into "Opening Up", with Tom Lewis as 'Cal', the diner cook and manager; Carmen as 'Becky'; and her daughter, Alex, as 'Dawn'.

So far, so good, and right in keeping with the story.

And isn't that scrim for "Joe's Pie Diner" just fabulous???

Nice to have members of the choir filling the tables as diners, too!

 

Then we have the scene with 'Joe', played by Bob Townsend, who was ideal in that role of the crotchety old man who owns the place. 

He's got worlds of experience and he catches on that 'Jenna' is pregnant.

She hasn't shared that information around, but he's had a close call or two in his younger years with lovers who got knocked up, so he knows "the look".

There follows a break for the announcements, birthday greetings, and the other regular church stuff for an Asbury Sunday.

 

When the GOB musical returns, it's just 'Jenna' on the stage, obviously pregnant.

She goes into the "Dear Baby" soliloquy, explaining how the crib was obtained and why she will not be in the pie contest.

Then she sings "She Used To Be Mine", about the younger self she once was.

Very beautifully done!

And that was the last scene from "Waitress: The Musical".

Period.

Reverend Billy Hester launched into his sermon, talking of his marriage to Cheri and their frequent counseling sessions they undergo; a story in the Bible from Luke 13:10-17 about a woman who had lived in pain for twenty years and came to Jesus for healing on the Sabbath, causing both of them to catch flak from others; and changes we go through as we age.

 

He segued from that to telling us of hearing "She Used To Be Mine" sung as a duet between a man and woman and how that changed the song.

That's when Michelle and her husband, Matthew, came to the stage and performed the song for us.

It was nice, no doubt about it, but...

that wasn't in the original story.

In fact, a lot that had been very much part of the original musical was completely absent from the version we had today.

Nothing about 'Earl', the husband 'Jenna' married young, who was abusive like her father had been...

nothing about the extramarital affairs between 'Cal' and 'Becky', or 'Jenna' and her OBGYN doc, 'Dr. Pomatter'...

nothing about the love story that springs up between 'Dawn' - the "Turtle" - and 'Ogie' - the "Elf" - who met online...

and certainly none of the imaginative pies that are created continuously by 'Jenna' in response to life's curves.

I'm glad I know the whole story...

but I'm kinda sorta glad I stayed home for this one.

The down side is I missed all the home-baked pies in Holliday Hall after.

fairy unicorn princess in midway!

Not even the nearly-constant rain could dampen spirits at Susie King Taylor Freedom Park in Midway, Georgia, this afternoon!

Just look at that smile on the face of the birthday girl!

Chloe and her friend, Leela, had taken a break from the playground to do a bit of coloring.

Both girls were rain-soaked, but neither cared!

This was a party!!!

I almost took crayons in hand to color, but I went to chat with others instead.

When I returned, Michael and Alyssa had taken my place!  

I know the saying: You move it, you lose it!

I still sat down and talked with them for a while, though I never got around to coloring.

In the background are Melinda and Christina, both wearing pink as though they had coordinated that.

I doubt it! 

And just what was my first niece fiddling with back there on the table?

That was no ordinary table, it was a nachos bar and I made sure to get a nice helping of most of it!!!

Underneath all that nacho cheese, ground beef, black beans, jalapenos, and salsa is actually a bed of tortilla discs.

It was totally fantabulous!!!

In fact, I was so into that Mexican treat that I almost missed the singing of "Happy Birthday"! 

I saw that Matt was lighting the candles and I tried to hurry and get my camera pulled up and ready...

but the snap just missed Chloe blowing out those eight little flames!

At least Aunt Chelsea was right there with cousin Annaleigh, and so was Grammy and Christina!

Anthony's mom, Tonia, was in her wheelchair and had a great view! 

Then it was time for cake and ice cream!

Silly me, I forgot my lactaid, but I still had a piece of that tall cake! 

I liked the puffy unicorn plate - isn't that cute?

And the cake was so very good that I even ate most of the icing - I did!

Then it was time to open presents, of course!

And was that a familiar face on the woman in the white T-shirt?

Sure enough, it was Kaleigh Cobb, down from Charleston with her fiance, Mac!

I'd spoken with them and Michael while I ate my nachos and it was very nice to get to know more about both of them.

They'll be going to the Savannah Bananas game tonight, if the rain lets up.

Back to the opening of the presents! 

Specifically, the opening of the Minions bag of goodies from me!!!

Here, Chloe paused to read the card.

Why?

Because her Grammy said so, that's why!

(smile!)

Next, she pulled out the book, which I had not even shrouded in tissue paper.

Nope! 

"Creature DIScomforts"!!!

What's this???

A book she'll never see anywhere else, full of beasts and words she's never seen before!

I just -LOVE- this expression on her face!!! 

(smile!!!)

Finally, she reached for the last item...

and it was in wrapping paper!

Oh, joy!

"I love to tear off the paper, " she said!

I'm so glad I remembered she liked that.

When she revealed the little fancy suitcase of art supplies, she held it up high - there were even unicorns on the outer design!!!

Grammy will let her open it later - no need to lose any of the pieces inside!

What a great party!

Later this month, it'll be their turn.

Leila and Alyssa will be 12.

Can that possibly be right???

Yes, yes, it can be and yes it is.

They are so different from each other!

Leila even commented that she wished she could have her own birthday party, but when you're a twin, that doesn't happen until you're grown and on your own. 

As for me, I have been wearing my yellow unicorn tiara ever since I first put it on at the party!

Isn't it gorgeous?!

And now I have two tiaras!!!

And see that little pink unicorn ponytail holder at the end of my braid?

That was in the 'treat bag' that all the kids - even me! - were given by my first niece!

She always spoils me by making sure I get one of those, too.

Muchas gracias, mi cara!

lead dog for mfg on a rainy night in georgia

Game time had finally arrived and we five were ready for it!

It wasn't even 6 PM yet and our table was set up and decorated with giveaway treats: keychains, lens cloths, buttons, and stress-relief hearts!

That's me, the lead dog of this event, standing on the left with my thumb up!

With me on the back row were Felicia Shuman, Carolyn Barnett, and Debra Johnson, while Lillian Sykes and Connie Cooper were in their seats, tablets at the ready to check in those coming for the movie.

We're all wearing brand-new AARP volunteer t-shirts except for Carolyn; that's because she wasn't part of my team, she was just there to see the movie.

(Thanks, Emily, for snapping this great photo!)

 

The movie was "Practical Magic 2" and I made sure all four on my team knew that they would be released to watch the movie from its start.

Remember, I already saw the film a couple of weeks ago for that very purpose.

I also assured them that it wasn't necessary to have seen the first movie.

That's because the makers realized that a lapse of 28 years would make it difficult for anyone to recall all the important points from that one.

That's why they did a recap at the start of this second film, to catch folks up.

 

So, there we were, stationed just outside the arcade.

Debra Johnson was the lobby usher, to help attendees find our check-in table.

Here are Lillian Sykes and Connie Cooper, practicing by checking us in!

I had learned how to do that from Gabrielle Richardson after the meeting yesterday, when she gave me a lesson on the use of the tablet and on CVent, the software program that is used for tracking attendance.

This morning, I made sure both tablets were fully charged, then I set them up to both open on CVent.

At AMC, I showed Lillian and Connie how to log in to the program, then I walked them through the use of the program.

They caught on pretty quickly and soon we were all checked in!

That meant we were ready to start interacting with attendees!

 

That was a little slow at first, as the steady rain and darkening skies delayed arrivals to the cinema on this Friday night.

Shortly after 6:30, though, we started having a steady stream of attendees.

That included one of my 'Lunch Lady' friends (Jackie Frant), another of our fellow AARP-GA volunteers (Sheila Bell), and my first niece with her family of four!

Plus, Debra Johnson was good at steering other folks to our table for the free MFG ticket to the movie!

That led to a new experience for all of us: how to register a new attendee who was not on our master list.

Lillian Sykes was the first to encounter that issue and when she called me over, I was at first daunted.

Did we truly have to fill out all those fields on two pages of registration?

Nope, we did not, I determined!

As I showed her, all we needed was their name and their email, then we could press the blue button to bypass all that other stuff - good!

Just a few minutes later, I showed Connie how to work the system, too.

I think we had at least four people that registered tonight!!!

 

That was good, as our numbers were a little lower than hoped.

Of the grand total of 127 registrants for the "Movies For Grownups" event, we had 63 that actually came.

When I checked for a pattern for those who did not show, I saw that the majority were couples.

Most likely they were deterred not only by the rainy weather, but also by AARP's warning that the event was overbooked and they might not get a seat.

That heavy-handed approach might be fine for larger cities, but it's not going to work here in Savannah.

People will come only if they know they will get in.

I'll have to be sure to let Gabrielle Richardson know that.

 

And did all go as planned tonight, on this inaugural volunteer event?

I'd like to say it did, but that was not the case.

I took that photo of the hallway outside Screening Room #5 at 7:42 PM.

The movie still had not started.

We had delayed the start from 7 PM to 7:15, to allow for those slogging through the rainy traffic to arrive safely.

I had apprised the attendees of the delay and the reason... and they clapped!

Very nice!

But the projector did not start up at 7:15 and it took a few minutes for the word to pass along to Chris, the manager on duty.

He'd gone up to the projector and attempted to restart it, even calling AMC Headquarters to get their tech to help.

Twenty minutes ticked by, then the projector started, but only the sound worked, not the video, so work continued.

By that time, the truly elderly in the audience were concerned about the time; it was already a late movie for them, and now it was going to interfere with their bedtime.

They had gone to the lobby and I'd met up with them, trying to be reassuring, trying to get word from Chris on his progress, but finding out his walkie-talkie was having issues.

Seriously.

So, one of the AMC clerks went upstairs to get Chris so we could stave off a growing number of unhappy attendees, now clamoring for refunds for the money spent on snacks and drinks.

Seriously.

By 8:10, things were calmer.

The movie was on and those who came for it were staying in their seats.

There was an orderly line of people wearing the red AARP armbands that marked them as legitimate attendees, eligible for the movie passes - and food & drink vouchers - that Chris was distributing from behind the counter, along with his apologies for the delay.

Trey, the manager I'd first spoken to about this weeks ago, had come from the grocery store, as he was off-duty when Chris called him for assistance.

Trey and I spoke for some time, with me filling him in and assuring him that Chris had taken all the right steps and had been very helpful for the AARP event.

In turn, Trey assured me that Tom - the other manager I've known for years - would be in at 9 PM for the closing shift.

I asked that Tom be present in Screening Room #5 as our MFG movie ended, to distribute movie passes to those who had stayed, and Trey told me he'd make sure of it.

And there Tom was, smiling and genial as he always is, offering his apologies for the projector issues as he placed passes into happy hands.

Success.

And Chloe had me up in front of the screen, dancing to the credits with her, and Christina even came up and joined us!

Yes, I'd call that a pretty successful first event.

I know the MFG event here on October 29th will run much smoother now that we've had this trial run.

Let's hope that leads to regular MFG events in Savannah.

happy bday8 to miss chlo!

Her birthday party is to be held on Saturday, and I am all set!

Remember, I bought her this "Super-Cute Kawaii Fun Activity Case" before we even went on the cruise.

Just the case looks fun!

And it goes so well with the theme of unicorns in this poster that my first niece made two weeks ago, doesn't it?

I pointed out the typo in her daughter's name, but, as she said, it's already gone out to everyone that way.

I decided to capitalize on that by also giving Chloe this book from my kickstarter days.

See, it's full of zany monsters with crazy names and poetry full of made-up words to describe them!

Plus, it's autographed, so that may well be part of Chloe's retirement fund some day.

Who knows?

That could happen!!!

(smile!)