t rex and oogie boogie, too!

A dinosaur!
Stomping
around
in the
Learning
Center!!
In the
middle
of the
afternoon!!!

Sure enough,
it was a baby
Tyrannosaurus Rex,
waving its
tiny little
arms about
as it
ran amok!
Awww...
How very cute!




What was the special occasion?
"Bring your favorite prehistoric beast to school" day?
No, silly!
It was Halloween!
I was even wearing my "scary pumpkin" t-shirt today!
I was at the LC for my usual Monday Office Hours.
Only one student showed up, but that was okay. I had plenty to grade while I waited.
Plus, I had the dinosaur as entertainment.
(smile)

After tonight's lecture on reaction kinetics and equilibrium, I bounced over to the Muse Arts Warehouse.
Odd Lot was getting to do a Halloween-themed show on...
wait for it...
Halloween!
Such a treat!

Here, an eleven-headed monster
is attempting to tell us
a story called
"The Origin of Halloween".
What a hoot!!!
Being a monster,
it mistook
"origin"
as some kind of creature!
(Good going, Zach!)
Very funny!

The cast of the improv troupe weren't the only ones clad in costumes!
Not by a long shot!
These five were part of the many contenders in the costume contest earlier in the show.
(They were all very gracious about losing to a little boy dressed as a teen-age mutant ninja turtle.)
(smile)
My favorite was the "low-cost Batman".
He reminded me of my "buck-toothed vampire" costume that I wore for one of Monica's Halloween parties at the A-frame!
Ah, good times!

Oogie Boogie had been a late arrival for the show, but he had almost stolen it!
Well, for just a few moments...
(smile!)
Happy Halloween, y'all!

counting blessings during the 19th film festival

I am so blessed.

I am so blessed to have been born in the USA.

I am so blessed to have been born Caucasian.

I am so blessed to have been born physically whole and healthy.

I am so blessed to have been born heterosexual and gender-specific.

I am so blessed.

None of those descriptions of my physical essence were by choice.

All were completely by chance.

I may not have wealth, but I am rich compared to most of the peoples of the world.

I may not have beauty, but I have an appearance deemed desirable by many.

I may not always like my options, but I have choices that few on this Earth are granted.

I am so blessed.

i thank You, God.

happy 49th, Dood!

This is my youngest brother's 49th birthday.
He's the one in the white shirt.
I do hope he will be back in Savannah for his 50th.

Since he and I have "email" communication now, I sent the following.

"Dearest Tony,
Happy birthday! I know you don't recall the day you were born, but I sure do!
There we all were, the whole family watching television after dinner that evening.
Then Mama got up to go to the bathroom and next thing you know, she and Daddy are off to the hospital because her water had broken!
I think Mary Norman came over to watch us...
Mama wasn't at the hospital even an hour before you came into the world! I guess you just couldn't wait one more minute to come into the world!
I'm hoping you will still have a blessed day, even if you are still on lockdown.
Know that my thoughts and prayers are always with you, but even more so on this day.
with much love from your one-and-only ever-loving sister!"

I wasn't able to go see him this year, due to my hands.
I really missed being able to give that visit to him this year.
Soon, the weather will shift and I will have to wait until spring to see him.
That'll be fine.
My hands should be good for long drives by then.
(smile)

in memory of Gwen, a little midnight madness, in pink

I had first noticed the event at least a month ago.
"Glow The Mall Pink Midnight Madness 5K", listed in the upcoming announcements.
A midnight fundraising race?
That sounded like it was meant for me, right?
Especially as I don't even glance at upcoming announcements in the paper, as a rule.
So I checked out the website.
Major coolness! Funds would be raised for breast cancer research!
Also, the race was billed as "beginner", with walkers, joggers, and even folks pushing strollers welcomed with open arms.
Definitely my speed!
I started filling out the registration...
than put it aside.
Then, this past Tuesday, I mentioned it to Kevin while we were dining.
He's in training for the upcoming marathon in November.
He encouraged me to register, but didn't push it.
Good man.
I did "like" the facebook page of the event...but didn't register.
On Thursday, the newspaper's stand-alone entertainment section had a big story about it.
This would be the inaugural event for this race in Savannah.
I liked the idea of being in on this in its first year...but still didn't register.
Then, late Friday night, tooling around on the web, I decided to go for it!
But the online registration was closed.
However, there would be the opportunity from 10 AM to 2 PM on Saturday to do so...
and so I did.
I was even there at 10 AM, to be one of the first.

Last night, I arrived at 11:30 PM to the Oglethorpe Mall.
Pink was everywhere!
Right place, right time.
The DJ was playing some good tunes, to get the crowd moving...
so I danced, as a little warm-up.
(Hey, it was already quite chilly and heading for the low 40's. Brrr!
And yet, I was there. Clad in long pants, pink socks, "Morgan's galaxy" tennis shoes, with my race shirt over my long-sleeved American Red Cross VIP Lifesaver shirt. Fuzzy pink socks with polka dots covered my hands cozily!)
Then, it was time to assemble at the starting line.
I went ahead and went to the front of the pack.
And who was beside me?

Deadpool.
I kid you not.
You know
what a
serious crush
I have on him...
I even shared him
with my first niece...
and she loves him, too!


Right place, right time.
Seriously.
Then, during my mile-eating walk, I paused briefly twice.
The first time, the cape had blown off an older superwoman, unbeknownst to her.
I had paused, bent, scooped it up, and had it waiting on my arm when she circled back for it.
She was so glad I had saved it!
Then, moments later, a coppery glint caught my eye!
I paused to retrieve the smashed penny, barely discernible as being face-up.
"Don't pick it up if its face-down, that's bad luck," someone shouted.
"It's a message from my mother," I replied, scooping it up and into my pocket.
Superwoman, behind me now, found another penny!
"A message from my mother, too," she said.
Right place, right time, for both of us.
In retrospect, the penny could have been from Gwen and David. I had a very distinct image of them when I was on my way to the BYOP party in Georgetown. Or perhaps it was placed there for me by Mother Pat.
The penny, with its front and back images nearly obliterated from car traffic, may have been a joint effort from all of them.
Right place, right time - not a simple coincidence.

I finished
the 5K,
or 3-mile,
course with
a time of
33:32 minutes.
That garnered me a 3rd Place medal for my age group!!!
Pretty good for my first-ever race!
(smile)

ain't no hurricane gonna stop this byop!

Even my odometer confirmed
that I was going to the
right place, right time!
181000 was the mileage -
such a nice, round number,
as befit the occasion.
And just what occasion was it?
Where was I enroute to?

To Dawn and Chris' house,
of course,
for the annual
Bring Your
Own Pumpkin party!
Nice and round, as I said!
(smile)

In addition to the
skeleton band
jamming out the tunes...

and the absolutely
scary
amount of food
weighing down
the tables...

and the one-eyed,
one-horned,
flying
purple
people-eater...

we also were treated
to our magnificent hosts
awarding prizes
for the carvers
of the great orange squashes.
Very nice, y'all!
Now, I need to prepare for
my first-ever 5K,
the Glow The Mall Pink Race...
wish me luck!

dancing on the ceiling!

When the man on the telephone asks, "Are you sitting down?", you should always sit down, then answer, "Yes".
The tremble in the voice is optional.
(smile)
What marvelous news Kurt Nelson had for me!
The precious funds spent to research my invention had returned favorable news: My design is unique!
Not only is it unique, but totally marketable, copyrightable, and patentable!
Yeah, I think I may be making up words now...
but I am so very excited!!!
What am I talking about?
My version of the Periodic Table!
The one I created this past summer!!!
The one original I had packed up in case I fled Hurricane Matthew.
The research had found that NO ONE ELSE has EVER had my idea!
Not ever!!!
Amazing, isn't it?
Honestly, I can't seem to wipe this smile off my face!
(SMILE!)

On Tuesday at two, I'll be chatting with Michael Meyers (no, not that one, and certainly not that one) about what to do next.
Soooooo excited!!!
I'll have to see about a crowd-sourcing campaign to raise the funds for the industrial patent - the twenty-year version which my invention warrants!!!!!
Mama and Daddy would have been so proud of me!!!
i thank You, God, for granting that inspiration!

there's a light, in the darkness

... of ev-er-y bo-dy's life!
I do so love that song!!!
Even with someone other than Susan Sarandon singing it!
What an absolute treat tonight lay in store for me on the telly!
You see, I had glanced at the article about the reprise of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" coming up some time on tv...but I figured it was about some new series and didn't read it.
Tonight, I had no particular plans. I had been at sixes and sevens all day and had thought I'd go see the new play about a woman in red. Honestly, though, I couldn't seem to get revved up about it.
I had gone to the store today to at least partially restock my fridge and freezer... and had dropped a hundred bucks on the effort.
Ouch.
Maybe I would just stay in this evening...
and what a right decision that turned out to be!
For comfort, I had my variation on Mama's salmon chowder for dinner. That meant I'd had that dish four times in the last eight days. In fact, it was the first thing I cooked when power came on last Wednesday and I had milk again.
As I dined, I watched the two episodes of "The Big Bang Theory" that are re-aired from 7 PM to 8 PM on FOX.
That's fairly common, if I am home at that time of night.
Then, I was a little slow to turn the tv off...
and what a good piece of fortune that was!
As soon as I saw that little usher come on, I knew I was in the right place, at the right time!
"The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do The Time Warp Again" was following my boys of science!!!
And no, it was not some new series... not at all! It was the entire play!!! Complete with audience par-ti-ci-----pation!

You bet your bippy that included me!
I danced, danced, danced
as Frank-n-Furter strutted and moued and moved about on the stage!

And here's my favorite part:
bad boy biker Eddie,
clad in black leather
and racing in on a black beast!
(Of course, I prefer Meat Loaf, myself!)
(smile!)

And what a blast that Tim Curry was part of the celebration of the play's 41st anniversary!
Hooray!!!
i thank You, God, for allowing my silly self to stay home to bear witness to this visual and aural feast, and for the presence of mind to contact others about its airing, too!
What great comfort to know I shared the experience with so many who are dear to me, even though we were not physically together.
Yes, indeed.

music, musical, and a movie, too!

Last night ended a weekend of healing... i thank You, God.
On Saturday, I continued my outreach to loved ones.
That project has been very helpful to me, assuring others - and myself - that my ship is returning to a more even keel in less turbulent waters. I know my rebound will be faster than that of Fort Pulaski, shown above (courtesy of a news crew's helicopter flyby). The tides from Hurricane Matthew went well above its eleven-foot walls.
The boundaries of well-being for my psyche are well on their way to recovery, thanks to the many sources of music over the past two days. Most of it was free, too!
Saturday evening, I was volunteering at the Lucas for one such event. The Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus gave me a big dose of classical pieces! "Mozart's Requiem", with its opening sonorous beat and spine-tingling harmonies. By the end of that hour-long symphonic production, there is no doubt that God is in charge, as always, and the world will continue on.
Then I was also treated to hear another familiar Mozart tune, his "Symphony No. 40 in G Minor". Nice encore!
Of course, part of my joy was being able to dance there in the little back hall, in view of the stage, but out of the line of sight of the audience. Best of both worlds - to have the music of a favorite composer and to move to it!
So very good to see familiar faces again, too! Judy and Don and Lucille and Jeanne Purcell and Joe of New Jersey! Stan was there, as well as Pat, but they were just being part of the audience this time.
(smile)
Sunday brought a lot of familiar faces around me, too! Hallelujah! I had missed that last Sunday, when I had wended my way through torn streets in search of solace... only to find the church was closed. Asbury Memorial UMC was still alive and well, giving us God on Broadway with the musical, "Hello, Dolly"!
Oh, so glad to be back where I belong!
(smile)
I had Mama's tuna chowder for lunch. Always a good call!
Then I bopped downtown for the Savannah Theatre Company's free gift to help heal the spirits of Savannah - "Rewind!" How very kid of them! I loved hearing those songs from old television shows again, too.
Ah, memories from a happier time to brighten the day!
Afterward, I had a nice long chat with a couple of sweetie pies, Paul and Cathy. Guess what she and I talked about for thirty minutes? Sewing! LOL!
Then, out the door I went again!
I had a "free movie" ticket from Carmike Cinemas that was soon to expire. What to see, what to see???
"Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children" would be just the thing! I had tried to get that on the short list for Tina Tuesday, but to no avail. Now, I could see it and it would be free... and, as it turned out, so was my popcorn and soda. Wonderful!
So was the movie. The excellent story about finding bravery in oneself against the threat of invisible trees (almost literally) was a timely message for me.
i thank You, God.

from my front porch, i can see

...devastation.
So many trees in the Forest Hills park were tossed down to the ground, never to rise again.
Heartbreakingly sad.

... blockage.
When the tornado swept through my neighborhood around 4:30 AM on Saturday, October 8, 2016, it left clear evidence of its passage.
Just three doors down from me, these trees were felled, blocking that egress for cars and bicycles.
To the left of the photo, the tornado had tossed a pine into a house.
Then, the destructive force had smashed through the park, claiming all in its path, before throwing another tree into another house.
I am so terrifed of tornadoes.

...shattered homes.
That trunk, with its splintered top thirty feet in the air, is all that remains of the pine which was home to some birds that frequent my yard.
Some of the branches torn off were thrown four inches deep into the ground and had to be forcibly tugged upon to be removed.
I have no idea where the top of the tree fell.
i thank God it was not launched into my house.

...perseverance.
This beautiful oak is directly across the street from my house.
When I was picking up its hurricane-removed limbs after that terrifying night, I saw buckling of the asphalt of the street.
The roots of the tree had fought to stay firm, had fought for the life of the tree...
and they had won.
Time will tell if their bruises will heal and allow the oak to stay strong.

...progress.
The four piles (plus one to the left of my driveway) in my front yard represent at least eight hours of my work, over the course of three days.
Other piles of once-living growth line the streets to both sides.
My flowering pear tree and my Japanese magnolia both survived. Moss had been torn from the limbs and scattered all over the yard, like odd blobs of gray snow.
But my two trees were intact.
i thank You, God.

...path ahead.
My street is now clear of the trees which were slain down. Their trunks have been chopped and piled in the park for the county to eventually haul away.
The trees within the park are still on the ground, as they have been all week. I suspect that will be the case for several months. If this had been a park downtown, it would have already been cleared. But it is not such a park and will have to wait its turn for the time and the budget to allow clearage.
We shall all have to keep the faith until that time.

sending love through the mail

During this past week, life has been hard.
Sure, my house was still intact.
Sure, I was unharmed physically...
but I cannot say the same for my mental and emotional states.
Four nights in a dark house, on a dark street, in a dark neighborhood...
definitely not healthy for me.
Today, I'm trying to give thanks to those who held the madness at bay.
I've been writing notes.
Why?
Well, here is how I worded it to my youngest brother:
"As much as I enjoy "talking" via email, sometimes it's nice to hold in my hands pen and paper to send words that someone I love will be able to hold in their hands.
It makes me smile just to know that you will soon read this."

I give special thanks to my dear friend-nephew Kevin for getting me out of my house and out of my funk on not one, not two, but on three days, and for great hugs on those days.
I give thanks to my dear friends Paul and Cathy, out on the other coast, for adding some much-needed cheer with a 90-minute phone call one dark night.
I give thanks to my ex, Jeff, for continually checking in on me, making sure I knew he still manned a lifeline for me.
I give thanks to my cousin Sharon and to Susan, there in Augusta, for offering me shelter in their home... and for checking on me when I stayed in Savannah.
I give thanks to my dear niece Christina, for checking in with me every single day, making sure I knew how much she cared.

i thank God and pray for serenity.

I thank so many others who let me know they cared, who sent me hopes for safety, who posted notes on my facebook page.
It was good to read those on Wednesday night, after my power had at last been restored.
No more dark nights.
I even leave a nightlight on when I go to bed now.
I wonder how much longer I may do that.
We shall see.
Meanwhile, I have notes of thanks to write, as well as birthday cards, as well as notes to my great-nieces and great-nephews to tell them I care.
Don't worry...I'll return soon enough to this lovely shore.

post-hurricane gratitude

A quick update, in the words of my fb post:

I'm alive and well, outside of being stressed from too many dark nights.
Got power back yesterday around 2 PM!
Hallelujah!!!
More later... I am at Savannah Tech and will be teaching at 11 AM.
My love to all... and many thanks for all the prayers and "stay safe" hopes!

pour boiling water over the coffee

I least I still was able to have coffee.
I don't know that my poor sanity would have had a fighting chance this past week if I didn't have coffee to look forward to in the mornings.
i thank God i still have a gas stove and matches.
I was still able to boil water.
Then I would pour that water over the coffee in the filter cup of my coffeemaker...
and pour the coffee from the carafe into my waiting mug.
Nearly normal.

I look forward to an absolutely normal breakfast tomorrow, the first one I will have had since Friday morning.
I know that was not quite a week ago, but it sure seems longer.
Now, it's dinnertime.
I was able to salvage the rest of the pierogi and a package of mixed greens from the ruined contents of my refridgerator and freezer.
With them, and some canned chicken, I have reprised my dinner from Friday night.
Polish chicken and dumplings.

Here's to a better day tomorrow.

shark and jet

Alpha Storm Central was the first thing I heard this morning.
My little emergency radio found the station in the midst of all the static after Hurricane Matthew.
I am so grateful that it can be powered by solar panels, rechargeable batteries, or a hand crank.
Right now, it is using the battery power, but I will place it in the window for sunlight now.

However, earlier, when I was searching for normalcy, I found Shark and Monty Jett, on the air and sending sound waves of hope and music.
I responded.

0809:
Thanks for being out there.
I do not have a smart phone, but i do have an emergency radio.
Your lifeline is keeping me sane here in midtown Savannah.

0843:
faustina of midtown again.
Are you both fans of west side story?
Nice names!
Very blustery here.
No power since about 1 AM this morn.
Thank God for gas so i can still make coffee.

My many thanks to Alpha Storm Central, otherwise known as Alpha Media Savannah-Hilton Head.
They broadcast here on five stations:

WFXH-FM Rock 106.1 (studio concert with Michael!)
WGCO-FM 98.3 Hank FM
WRWN-FM Rewind 1079
WUBB-FM BOB 106.9
WXYY-FM G 100.1
WHHW-AM 935 The Island

Believe me, your lifeline during the aftermath is greatly appreciated.

should i stay...

Well, after a fairly solid night's rest, the picture painted by the weather folks was not nearly as drear.
Matthew was still wading in the warmth of the Gulf Stream, but was staying away from the beach itself, choosing instead to toss water wildly all around him, and for a considerable distance, too.
Here in Savannah, we've been caught by some of that wild spray, but we're twenty miles inland from shore. Tybee has been closed to travel for several hours, as the one road in - or out - has been covered by water, thanks partly to Matthew's efforts and partly due to timing. The high tide was about two hours ago.
The worst is yet to come, of course.
The big bully is still moseying up the coast, not in any particular hurry to get anywhere soon.
That's bad for the rest of us, of course.
Everyone knows that no one breathes easily until a bully has passed them by and rounded the corner.
Given his current pace, he will arrive here about 8 PM, too late for dinner. But like a bad guest, he will persist in hanging around until the next morning, disrupting everyone's plans and their sleep.
Sigh.
I have plenty of crossword puzzles to pass time, as well as unread magazines.
I have three lights with fresh batteries, as well as candles.
I have a bathtub full of water, should that be needed for flushing.
I have plenty of food which can be eaten cold, and plenty of water.
I have the ice chest ready to go, in case it's needed.

I'll see y'all in the morning.
Much love always!

...or should i go?

That's the question I've been asking myself for the last three days.
After seeing the latest satellite photos, I'm pretty shaken up.
Tomorrow morning will be the deadline for me to answer that question.
On Tuesday, while it was still far off in the Caribbean, I wasn't concerned. After all, it might have changed its path, right? Veered off into the Atlantic and left Georgia's coast alone?
On Wednesday morning, I canceled my reservation for the high school reunion, as that was now blown away by Matthew's threat to the beach. Even if it didn't come ashore, the surf would be very hazardous.
Then I found out that Armstrong canceled all classes after 3 PM on Wednesday.
Savannah Tech followed suit at 5 PM that day.
No more classes or school events at either until Monday.
I tried to pass it off as the schools erring on the side of caution... but the television kept posting bad news as the huge bully slowly muscled its way up toward Florida.
I almost went to a movie for some needed distraction, but watched a rerun of "The Voice" instead. That worked. No weather news interruptions either way.
Then, today, I've watched as Hurricane Matthew has ridden the warm waters of the Gulf Stream up the east coast.
It's been like a bad dream in slow motion.
I mowed the back yard to get shed of some nervous energy.
That worked pretty well.
Then I looked into going to a movie this afternoon.
Not possible.
The cinemas were closed.
I think that's when it truly registered.

There's a hurricane, 500 miles wide, spinning into my space.
When it hits Jacksonville, Florida, tomorrow morning, a town which is almost 250 miles away, Savannah will be feeling the effects of the storm's upper bands of energy.
From 250 miles away.
My cousin Sharon has invited me to stay with her family in Augusta. I just may do that, even though my hands will give me great difficulty for such a long drive.
Just in case, I'll pack tonight.
The car is already filled up with gas and oil, so she's good to go.
Just in case.
My house sits on higher ground, so that's good. But is it good enough for a 7 to 9-foot storm surge?
I don't know.
For now, I will say so long... see you soon.

almost kin to a Globetrotter

- Who? You?

No, Sam Johnson. One of his sisters dated a Globetrotter for a while, back in high school.

- The Harlem type or from that short at last year's film festival?

The Harlem Globetrotters, not the dancers. Although they were known to dance around a bit on the court...
(smile)

***** ***** *****

The t-shirt is a memento from the July 27th, 2008, basketball game I attended with Sam. Meadowlark Lemon's Harlem All-Stars were coming to to town to play an afternoon game to raise funds for the victims of the fiery explosion at the Imperial Sugar Refinery here in Savannah.
You see, several of the players have ties to Savannah.
TyRone "Hollywood" Brown, Larry "Gator" Rivers, Matt "Showbiz" Jackson, and Bruce "Sugar Bear" Capers are all graduates of Beach High School. Some of their relatives and classmates who worked at the refinery had been injured in the blast.
So, Hollywood Brown had set the wheels in motion for the fundraiser. The basketball game would celebrate the lives of the 13 workers who died as well as honor many of the first responders to the tragedy.
The date was set for Meadowlark Lemon, renowned "Clown Prince of Basketball", and his Harlem All-Stars to play against local TV and radio personalities, clergymen, firefighters and emergency medical technicians.
Brown said, "The last time Meadowlark played here was back in '79. I'm hoping people will come out because this might be the last time they get to see him."
The legendary man was already 76 years old.
What prophetic words those were, as it turned out. That was the last appearance of Meadowlark Lemon here in Savannah. Last year, he passed away, so there will be no future engagements.

What brought all of that to mind?

Funny how the memory works.
I was reading an article in today's paper about "Gator" Rivers. He's been keeping occupied these days with the renovation of playground basketball courts in his hometown... which is Savannah.
How about that?
And I found myself wondering...was he the one Sam's sister had dated?

of picnics and cannons!

I had not planned to attend the annual "Picnic in the Park" at Forsyth this year. I think I passed on it last year, even though I had a good time the year before. You remember, right? That was the year I danced with the homeless guy to Darth Vader's theme!
None of my meetup groups had mentioned it, so... I was going to give it a pass.
Then I read about the cannons.
That's right: real, live cannons!!!
Well, alrighty then!
And why were the cannons to be there?
The Savannah Philharmonic was going to play "1812 Overture"... and the 3rd Infantry Divison was providing the cannon fire!!!
o...m...G!!!!
You see, there was this little bar I had liked to frequent in Okinawa. Called Pianissimo, the place had copies of Old Masters artworks, complete with museum-type accent lights, and lush furniture to settle upon. And they played classical music.
L-O-U-D.
So, I could sit there comfortably and admire the paintings while I quaffed the poison of my choice. I heard a lot of music there that I liked. But one of my favorites was "The Year 1812".
You may know it as Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture".
(smile)
I think I was drawn to the cannon fire blasting away in it! After all, name two other classical pieces - or even contemporary tunes - that feature cannons. Go ahead, think about.
I'll wait.
(smile)
That's okay, there's only two that I can recall. The first is "The Battle of New Orleans", one I grew up hearing on WSGA, 1400 AM.
That was a very fun tune!
Then there was "For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)". That was the title track to the 1981 album by those hard rockers I adore, ACDC.
Magnificent!
The year coincided with my tour of duty in Okinawa, too.
Coincidences rock, right mate?
Sure enough!!!
Anywho... so there you have it.
One of my favorite bits was to be planned, with proper accompaniment, at Forsyth Park on a balmy early fall eve. I resolved to be there! Barbara even agreed to come along!
Fabulous!

We even found a good place for our chairs! Kal's meetup, the Beach Bums, were there with food and wine, which pleased Barbara.
Me? I was just glad to be able to hear the music!
What a glorious way to end the day after such a glorious beginning!
i thank You, God!

best.sunday.ever. (cue music)

I absolutely love the God on Broadway series at Asbury Memorial!!!
This year, "The Sound of Music", "Hello, Dolly!", "Cats", and "Peter Pan" are still waiting in the wings for their cues, but today... Oh, my, today has been my favorite ever!!!

"Phantom of The Opera"!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And the very first song was my very favorite of all!!!!
"Music of the Night"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Utterly incredible!
There were even three phantoms, so they could magically and mysteriously move from one side of the balcony to the stage and then to the other side of the balcony whilst singing.
Beautifully done!!!!
But that wasn't all, my dear friends!
After "The Phantom of the Opera" by the choir, and a fabulous "Angel of Music" by a returned Asberry, then we all chimed in!

One: Sing! Children of God! Let the music draw you closer to the Spirit!
Us: God lives and loves among us!
One: Dance! Children of God! Lose yourself in the choreography of the spirit. Life is a dance and God is the orchestra.
Us: God lives and moves among us!
One: Embrace! Children of God! Open your arms and feel close to each other. It is our openness where life takes on meaning.
Us: It's great to be alive! Let us give God thanks and celebrate!

Then the choir sang and danced for the "Masquerade"!!! So nice to see them dressed in their ballroom attire!
And then?
Then what happened???
The litany was with us reading parts of the beautiful, sweet, longing "All I Ask Of You"!!!
I tell you, it was all I could do to not sing the words!!!

God: No more talk of darkness,
Forget these wide-eyed fears;
I'm here, nothing can harm you,
My words will warm and calm you.
Let me be your freedom,
Let daylight dry your tears;
I'm here,
with you, beside you,
To guard you and to guide you.
Us: Say You love me every waking moment,
Turn my head with talk of summertime.
Say You need me with You now and always;
Promise me that all You say is true,
That's all i ask of You.
God: Let me be your shelter;
let me be your light;
you're safe,
No one will find you,
your fears are far behind you.
Us: All i want is freedom,
A world with no more night;
And You, always beside me,
To hold me and to hide me.
God: Then say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime;
Let me lead you from your solitude.
Say you need me with you, here beside you,
Anywhere you go, let me go too,
That's all I ask of you.
Us: Say You'll share with me one love, one lifetime;
Say the word and i will follow You.
Share each day with me,
Each night, each morning.
Say You love me...
God: you know I do.
Us: Love me, that's all i ask of You.
(Note: The use of lower-case "i" and capitalized "You" is my doing. The church bulletin did not have that in the program.)

By the third stanza, I couldn't simply speak the words anymore.
Sing! That's what the words do in my heart and that's why my mouth had to do the same!

A duet presentation of "All I Ask Of You" was provided during the offertory. Nice touch!
And the sermon today from Reverend Billy Hester?
"Taking Off Our Masks".
Very uplifting and positive message!
And then?
Then what happened???
Well, wonder of wonders, today was World Communion Sunday!
It was so nice to be part of a bigger whole!

Then, it was all over, except for the playing of the theme music one more time on the piano and organ... hallelujah!!!

I so look forward to this being posted on the website!

magnificent hell or high water lesson

This afternoon, CinemaSavannah brought a foreign film that brought to mind a recent modern western. And that thought reminded me that I had wanted to make a comment about my "Tuesday with Kevin" movie this past week.
So, let's take a little look, shall we?
Here's the facts about the three movies.
Two were Westerns, set in desert country.
Two had bank robbers.
Two featured at least one Comanche.
Two had irony as part of the plot.
All three were seen in different venues.
Each was viewed with me accompanied by different people.
(That was nice, as I generally travel solo to movies.)

Let's address those last two points first, shall we?
(smile)
The first film seen was on Thursday, September 15, at the Wynnsong Carmike, as a matinee with my bfe. It was a Western, set in the desert land of the southwest USA. Driven to rob banks to save the family farm, two brothers had put aside sibling rivalry. To launder the liberated funds, they used a Comanche casino across the border.
There was a nicely ironic twist, too. The boys were only robbing branches of the same bank that was trying to foreclose on the farm.
You know I liked that!
The second film was seen as part of a "Tuesday with Kevin" event, just a few days ago, on September 27th. That was at the Carmike Cinema on Stephenson and was also set in the southwestern desert lands of the USA. This time, seven men with varying degrees of lawlessness united to help save a town. Not for free, of course! Partly for the money, partly because of the winsome widow who hired them, but mostly to slay their own dragons.
Oh, one more thing: one of the seven was a cast-out Comanche with a penchant for silence and a keen use of blades.
The third film was seen today, with Barbara Boo, and a multipurpose S.P.A.C.E. downtown. Set in Bulgaria, it featured a middle-school teacher who had the stress of dealing with a thief in her classroom. She also had a husband with no sense of budget. As she learned, desperate times call for robbing a bank to make the mortgage payment.

The first film was "Hell Or High Water", featuring Chris Pine. As the bfe said, "minding the farm must be how Captain Kirk spends his free time."
(smile)
The Tuesday movie was the only one with a big budget and horses, like the Westerns of old. "The Magnificent Seven" had a galaxy of guardians (see what I did there?) with a wide range of appeal: Chris Pratt, Denzel Washington, Vincent D'Onofrio, Ethan Hawke. Everyone should find someone to root for in that bunch!
Today's foreign feature was "The Lesson", actually made in 2014. As Barbara and I are both teachers, paid nowhere near our worth and always watching those dollars, we had looked forward to seeing this tale of another instructor in another country.
If you get a chance, check these out and let me know what you think of them, okay?
Thanks!