another 6 of 7

As I'd mentioned, I already had a play lined up for tomorrow.

So, that's one.

I hadn't known of the student-directed One-Act Festival at Savannah Arts Academy until almost 5 PM on Friday!

I'd checked their website to see what was upcoming... and there it was!

I immediately bought tickets for both Friday and Saturday, of course.

 

Last night, there were four plays performed over a two-hour span.

Here are the four student directors, the student producer, and David Poole, who made sure all received flower bouquets for their work. 

From left to right, and in the order their plays were performed, that's Latricia Jones-Brown, Gavin Rivera, Sarina Mullady, and Shaylee Smith, as well as Alyssa Nascimento, the producer, and the always-hat-clad David, the faculty advisor.

(Nice nod to his defunct Collective Face Theatre Ensemble in the credits! I certainly had some memorable experiences at those plays.)

 

Tonight, there were only two plays, but each was about 40 minutes long.

This time, the two student directors were Emily Cooke and Desmond Chaney, but his play was performed first. 

All six plays performed over the two days all had dark themes.

I wonder why the directors chose these works?

The ones Friday night were all modern pieces from this century.

 

Director: Latricia Jones-Brown 

"The Door" concerned a grandmother waiting for her grandson to come home.

He's in the room with her, trying to get her to open the door to whoever is knocking so late at night, trying to get her to acknowledge that he is gay.

It came with a supplemental program with a list of young people who had been killed for being gay or lesbian or trans.

Very serious stuff.

Director: Gavin Rivera 

Next was "Don't Hang Up", directed by the only male director on Friday.

This featured a 15-year-old girl on the line with the 'Drain Right' help desk clerk, with the question: "How much of this do I drink to die?"

Very sobering look at the types of calls that get fielded.

Director: Sarina Mullady

"Three Tables" had a cast of seven, with three couples in various stages of being in a relationship: a 5-year anniversary dinner; a last meal to sign divorce papers; a first outing of an internet date.

Then there's the waitress to handle them all as they eavesdrop on each other's conversations at the adjoining tables.

(Of the four plays on Friday, I enjoyed this one the most.)

 

Director: Shaylee Smith

"The Waves" concerned the suicidal beach-walker (the only one in jeans in the photo) as he fought the voices in his head.

This one actually got a bit scary at times, and loud.

(The performance by a different troupe is available on youTube.)

Now, on to the ones seen tonight.

Director: Desmond Chaney

"The Chairs", an absurdist farce from 1952, was my least favorite.

Yes, that's true, even though it had Trey Wilner.

He was one of the two old people rushing around gathering chairs to the stage as they prattled on about a message of great importance.

Given the play's length, it really got quite tedious. 

Then, the message was whispered in the ear of a deaf-mute (the plaid pants), so it ended up all garbled, rendering their suicides null.

Just what was written on the placard?

"Absent food" or some such.

See what I mean?

Director: Emily Cooke

"Trifles" was exactly what I needed as the last play of this festival!

A murder mystery from 1916, it showed the difference between the way the men were handling the situation (looking for 'what') and the way the women did (in search of 'why').

A wife had been taken into custody for the death of her husband.

The sheriff (in the white coat) was speaking with the two couples who'd lived on nearby farms, gathering information with the men, leaving the women to gather items to take to the woman in jail.

I'm not going to spoil the ending, but I will say this: I'd see it again.

 

And so ends my tale of the six plays I've seen this weekend, of the seven I will be seeing total. 

Kudos to all of the directors for bringing these plays to the audience!

Kudos to all of the actors for bringing these stories to life!

Kudos to SavArtsAcad for sharing with the community!

6 of 7

"Are you referring to the Borg from "Star Trek" with that designation?"

Um, no. That would be Seven of Nine, and she/he/it was a Borg drone, who was in several episodes of "Star Trek: Voyager", one of the spinoff series. I'm simply stating the number of movies in the NCG Rom-Com Film Festival that Carolyn and I saw together. Including the one from today, that would be six of the seven! This last one was "My Best Friend's Wedding", which was a perfect end, just as the Elvis film was perfect as the first one for us. Lots of music and talk of friendship!

 

"I thought you owned that Julia Roberts movie."

 

Yes, Comcast did reward me with that one. And, yes, I did see it quite recently. However, I watched Cameron Diaz in her debut movie last weekend and it was good to see her again. Good for her for accepting her lack of singing ability and being brave enough to let it be used for humor! That's really her singing "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" in the karaoke scene. And her 24-year-old self is so charming that the initial boos turn to loud applause as she croaks her way through it!

 

"But she was so good singing in the nightclub in "The Mask"!!!"

 

No, dear, she just looked good doing that. She lip-synced "Hey, Baby, Ain't I Good To You", but it was Susan Boyd who sang for 'Tina Carlyle'. 

 

"Oh! Wow. I guess they must have really wanted Cameron for her looks."

 

Perhaps so. She was just 21 years old then. But for this movie, Julia Roberts picked her to be in it. Amazing, right? She recognized her comedic talent.

 

"That's great! What a nice little tidbit of trivia!"

 

Carolyn is just full of stuff like that. We talked about the movie from last week, "How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days", too, which we'd had to see separately, due to schedule conflicts.  

 

"Yes, I recall you saying that. Did y'all die at Chili's?"

 

We did! When she asked where I wanted to go, that's what I said, so that's where we went. I was wanting some chips and salsa, as well as that Cajum Shrimp Alfredo Pasta. As I told our waitress, Lexi, I am hooked on that dish! I ate all the shrimp, and the bread, but took most of the pasta home for another meal. I took home most of the chips, too, as well as a fresh serving of salsa that Lexi brought me! This is the third time I've had her there.

 

"Very nice to have leftovers!"

 

Most def! And when I arrived home, the Universe had one last thing for me.

 

"Let me guess! A cool odometer reading!"

 

You betcha!

I almost missed it, too, but a flicker of light drew my eye.

Mileage: 245030.

A nice round number...

must be from Mama. 

Right place, right time...

watching a movie about friendship...

spending time with a friend!

(smile!)

my left foot

No, that isn't a reference to the 1989 movie with Daniel Day-Lewis.

I can't even believe that sprang to mind, as long ago as it was.

Perhaps my mental jukebox keeps track of movie stuff, too, to cue up for me when a stray phrase drops a quarter.

At any rate, I'm literally talking about my left lower appendage.

Kindly ignore for the moment that it's wearing a sandal in February.

Notice the toenails, please.

See how nicely trimmed and neat-looking they are?

Now, take a gander at my right foot, also sandal-clad.

Again, focus on the toenails.

These are all different lengths and not nearly as nice as the ones on the other foot.

That's because I can easily bend down and take care of my left foot.

Not so for the right side, as the inguinal hernia prevents that flexibility.

I did manage to contort enough to catch that middle toe, though, by standing with my heel down and my toes all straining upward to the clippers.

However, when I tried to get to the toe between that one and the little toe, the clippers only succeeded in nicking the toe and making it bleed.

That's why I was so grateful for a warm day so I could wear sandals.

Yesterday had not quite been as warm, nor will tomorrow be.

But the weather song had predicted the low 70's and it's actually been better than that for this Thursday.

Most excellent!

That allowed me to go wash clothes in shorts and sandals, again.

I had known it must be time... I was almost out of panties!

Remember: I have a drawer just for them!

Now, all of those will be clean, as well as all the long pants and my favorite sweaters, as well as a few socks.

Well, the ones for the left foot, at least.

I'm so looking forward to seeing the surgeon about that hernia!

The appointment is on Tuesday and I am so ready for it!

ggbd, revisited

Part of me misses this grand day of silliness.

Goth Girl Blog Day... just saying the words seems silly. 

Part of me, though, still observes it in remembrance of Sam Johnson.

It's thanks to him that I went to my very first Dragon*Con.

Had he not convinced my Mom's BFF to take us there in 2008, how would my life be different?

Would I have gone those other times to show off my cosplay designs?

Would I?

My little girls are not yet of an age to share that event, but, soon.

I am realizing that time passes just a bit faster these days.

Perhaps that's akin to parallax error?

Watching my children grow certainly seems to speed up time.

Nice to have this day to help me mark it.

pan pizza, et alia

thanks, papa john's and aarp!

I've rediscovered a new favorite: pan pizza!

The moment I picked up the pizza box, I knew there was something inside - such delicious mass!

Why did it draw me out on a cold day?

I had ten bucks from AARP Reward points, $2 in Papa Dough, and the special knocked off another 4 dollars.

I paid $2.56 for pepperoni and banana peppers on a pie that's been lunch and dinner, plus breakfast tomorrow.

My favorite food for three meals - life is good!

(smile!)  

thanks, SBHF37 and City of Savannah!

The Savannah Black Heritage Festival isn't over just yet, but I won't be making it to any other events by Saturday.

I should have been paying more attention as February began.

As it was, I caught three of the events: the one about literature at The Learning Center of Senior Citizens, Inc.; the one about history at our HBC, Savannah State University; and the one about music held at the Savannah Jewish Educational Alliance.

Every event of the SBHF37 was free and open to the public, courtesy of the City and various sponsors.

Most of the events were held midtown Savannah, making sure locals were present and the parking was abundant.

I'll pay more attention to scheduling next year!

(smile!) 

thanks, comcast!

Because Comcast includes ME TV, Antenna TV, and seven PBS/GPB/SCE channels in my Basic TV subscription, I had a wealth of recorded shows to watch on this cold day.

The second of those channels provided me with "Just Shoot Me!", a show at takes place at "Blush" Magazone.

David Spade is the assistant to George Segal, who also has his daughter, Laura San Giacomo, on the staff, as he tries to make up for being an absentee father in her childhood and marrying her best friend.

Mostly, though, I like the spice added by Enrico Colantoni and Wendie Malick, and all the puns on the magazine cover!

Puns!!!

I get a lot of puns from "Toon In With Me", too, which is from that first free channel.

This time, Bill is pondering getting a part-time job, so he considers milkman (my Daddy did that!), pin boy at bowling alley, costermonger, knocker-upper, gong farmer, town crier, and even pony express!   

He even premiered two cartoons that were new to his show: "Ten Pin Terrors" and "Saddle Silly", both 7-minute oldies!

Toonie reminded him that his job as 'classic cartoon curator" takes all his time. (smile!)

Then, there's that plethora of educational channels to keep me informed and stimulated. 

The "Dream Of Italy" series must have been timed to prime folks for the Winter Olympics.

I just watched, "Andrea Bocelli's Tuscany", s3e1, which brought memories of vineyards in Livorno in 2002, as well as time in Siena and Florence and Pompeii on the trip with future nurses in 2012.

Here's the funny part, though.

I'd just recently seen similar footage, including inside the home of the Italian tenor, in a movie, "Solo Mio"!!!

Timing truly is everything!

Right time, right place! 

(smile!) 

memories of warm days, to you and you and...

This went to my first niece yesterday.

Her two tiny musicians are Girl Scouts now.

The photo on my phone is from C J's 13th birthday party in 2022.

That meant July, with warmth in the air!

"Wow," was her reply.

The next photo went to her mom.

That's from Chloe's 5th in October 2023.

My outlaw Melinda replied almost instantly, "Miyah bday. Cool."

I get it - Miyah's 5th had been at the same place the year before.

I said, "Near some lake. Really nice warm day!"

"Yes it is."

Yes, it is!

The third photo went to my eldest niece.

This is the most recent photo I have of her, her mom, and her daughter.

They were at the Jenkin's BYOP in 2023.

"Love the blast from the past," Christy replied.

I told her, "Love the three generations!"

That was a sunny, warm day, too.

The fourth photo through the ether went to the hostess of that party.

This one, though, was her and a group at a party that she didn't host.

It was taken a month before the other photo, when Harry was doing well.

Robin loved the image.

"Happy, warm time," I texted back.

All the way to Augusta went photo 5, to my oldest paternal cousin!

That's her in the middle, doing karaoke!

This is a little earlier, but the same year as the last three.

Bev texted, "So much fun!"

"Sure was! Hoping to see y'all for Easter."

Now, I need to find out when that holiday will be this year!

What a fun way to spend some time with others this has been: sharing photos and memories!

Makes me warmer already!

cold day, hot men: part 2

Subtitle: Thanks, James Van Der Beek, for making a hero move.

See, I figured out why this special from December of 2024 was re-aired.

On February 11th, that actor who'd been in "Dawson's Creek" died.

James would have been 49 years old next month on March 8th.

That's him, second from the right, in the brown pullover and tam.

The woman to the left is Mandy Moore, the choreographer of their burlesque dance routine to Joe Cocker's "You Can Leave Your Hat On."

Starting from the left, the men are Bruno Tonioli, Taye Diggs, Anthony Anderson, Chris Jones, James Van Der Beek, and Tyler Posey.

As diverse as their ages (in 2024) are their distinguishing features.

Bruno is the 68-year-old Italian dance machine of the stars.

Taye is the 53-year-old hunk that once helped a new divorcee find her strengths and get her groove back.

Anthony, at 54, represents the chunky boy next door that could always make you laugh and feel pretty, as a game show host always should.

Chris, that tall drink of water in the middle, at 30 years old and a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Kansas City Chiefs, fulfills every woman's fantasy of making it with a buff football player.

James, 47 years old, was the genteel white dude who had been a teen-bop heart throb on television.

Tyler, the tattooed 33-year-old Latino with the musical background, is the perfect addition for the six-man team. 

Together they represent a flavor for every female fantasy, which was obvious when Bruno, Tyler, Chris, Anthony, James, and Taye took the stage for that one-night performance in Los Angeles.

But let me set the record straight: this was not a Chippendales strip show.

Anthony Anderson had lost his father and three brothers to cancer and wanted to do something to encourage men to take action.

He knew that men, no matter what race, have a problem with associating going to a doctor with stripping down and showing weakness.

What might put that action into proper perspective than to strip down with a few others, in front of an audience, and to bare all in the name of fighting prostate, testicular, and colorectal cancer?

He went ahead and booked the theater where the show would be held.

The problem, then, was trying to get other male celebrities to bring their star power for that fundraiser.

The first to show up was Taye Diggs, unsure of whether he really wanted to strip down, but wanting to honor the deaths of his mom and dad to cancer.

Bruno Tonioli was the next to walk through the door for the training session; he'd come to honor his friend and mentor.

Chris Jones showed up just a few days before the show, to replace a man who'd had to leave; Chris was there to honor his coach.

Tyler Posey's mom had died of breast cancer, having postponed going to the doctor until it was too late.

That had almost been James Van Der Beek's story, but with him being the one who had waited until almost too late.

As he finally told the others at dinner a few nights before the show, he had known something was wrong, but he didn't want to see the doctor, afraid his worst fears might be true.

That sounds like exactly what Daddy had done in 2008, and like exactly what Mother Pat had done in 2006. 

Both of them were dead within a year.

Now, James Van Der Beek has died, after a three-year battle.

The re-airing of the 2024 special was done to continue to raise awareness.

Fox even kept the QR code onscreen at all times, encouraging viewers to donate to support colorectal cancer research.

That truly is a disease that should claim no lives and cause no heartbreak, as a simple screening can lead to its discovery and treatment.

Want to be a man that takes care of his loved ones?

Get a colonoscopy.

Have a prostate exam.

See your doctor on a regular basis so they know you.

Cancer doesn't discriminate, it's an equal opportunity killer.

cold day, hot men: part 1

At least the weekend was nice.

Now it's Monday and the sheer agony of Hell has descended back upon this latitude, borne on winds from the north.

A high of maybe 49 F???

Followed by a low back into the 20's tonight that persists into early morn?

How preposterous and ugly is that???

Fortunately, I'm retired, so I don't have to get out into that for work.

Unfortunately, Two First Posts has a meeting at 1630 to discuss moving forward with plans for a soft opening next month.

At least it will still be daylight.

Meanwhile, I enjoyed a last viewing of "The Mask" with brunch today!

What, no breakfast?

Nope!

Not when the weather is posting temperatures in the 30's at 10 AM.

I stayed in bed until noon, thanks.

I'm so glad this dollar-movie-night reward was waiting to entertain me again.

That may not be my Elvis, but he's close enough for me!

I'm sure Jim Carrey was given free rein to say whatever sprang to mind during that shape-shifting scene in the cabaret.

"Tell Auntie Em not to forget to feed Old Yeller for me."

Hahahaha... I'm sure that confabulation wasn't scripted!

"Tell Tiny Tim I won't be home for Christmas."

Might that have been a reference to another green-faced person who's been around since Jim Carrey was just two years old?

"Tell Scarlett that I do give a damn."

Well, he'd started with a reference to a classic from 1939, might as well end with another from that year!

Jim was 32 years old when "The Mask" came out in 1994...

as was my "Clark Gable" middle brother, also born in 1962.

We all grew up with those movies on the TV every year, firmly etched onto our memory.

My guess is Jim Carrey's mental jukebox is slapped loaded with snippets from every movie he's ever seen, just waiting to be inserted into quips!

That's fine by me.

I just love those inside jokes!

Okay, let me get psyched up to go outside to that American Legion meeting.

Good to know I have more hot men waiting here for my return.  

Last Wednesday, Fox re-aired "The Real Full Monty" and I saved it.

Of course, I've been tied up with all the Olympics ice dancing and figure skating events, breaking out my analytical chemist skills on all that data, so I haven't had much time for regular shows. 

And, yes, Jim Carrey is hot, in a boy-next-door way.

Plus, I love a man who can make me laugh!

(smile!)

o weather song, o weather song, why so many changes?

On the 9th, a Monday, I could not go to Music Bingo.

By 7 PM, the time it was to begin, the temperatures were already falling, with a -5 degree wind chill. 

Yes, I had gone out earlier, when the sun was out... but not after sundown.

That chilly vampire can bite into my heart! 

I checked back on the WSAV weather song on Wednesday, the 11th.

Tuesday and Wednesday had been blessedly warm as forecast, so much so that I had the windows thrown open to let all that in!

The song was to go right into its usual notes, with a slight warming trend!

 

That allowed me to plan on completing my AMC A*List trio that Thursday, which I did... kinda sorta.

Yes, I did see the Korean pop concert, but that was last Saturday. 

Yes, I did watch "Goat", the animated basketball movie with the inside joke in its anagram title - Greatest Of All Time - and laughed a lot!!!

Here's another inside joke: the giraffe is voiced by Stephen Curry, who literally is the GOAT for having popularized the 3-point shot.

So, what makes this a kinda sorta trio?

I didn't actually watch "Mercy" a second time, I just got a ticket for it.

Hopefully that will mean it will stay a bit longer!

 

Friday the 13th didn't quite make the note forecast, and steadily chilled.

However, its tune changed for the better after that, with a promise of super-duper 70's by midweek! 

Despite the chill in the evening, I still made it for the S&K Friday Fiesta and even treated myself to the Caldo Tlalpeno for a change.

Consider it a variation on chicken soup, with slices of avocado lurking within.

It was very tasty, but I didn't eat that roasted pepper on top - too hot for me!

So nice to see my brothers, SILs, Betsy, Jimmy, and Becca!

Lots of hugs to get... and to give!

 

Time to jump ahead two more days to Sunday, the 15th.

I had hoped to see an improvement for Monday, but it was the same.

No Music Bingo or Rom-Com Film Festival that night!

But I did go to a movie on Saturday and an SBHF7 event Sunday.

 

Let's jump right over that low note of Monday and well ahead to the steady notes through Thursday, the 19th, shall we?

Nothing but lovely warmth, even if there was a bit of rain.

Then, up ahead, the joyous tones give way to woe, sinking into the depths of despair and thrashing around in the basement again!

Drats.

Yet another Monday to be spent at home, eh?

That just meant I must plan ahead!

 

I still got in another trio on my A*List.

"Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die", the new science fiction with Sam Rockwell in the lead, was the movie seen on the 14th.

The story chronicled his 117th try at finding the right mix of people at Norm's diner who could help him succeed at giving AI of the future some laws of robotics.

Notice I said it was his 117th effort, so he was getting a bit jaded, but still persevered.   

I liked getting the back story on the people selected for that attempt.

One was a mother whose son was killed at a school shooting and been replaced, free by the government, by a clone.

Two were high school teachers who were at a school where shootings occurred and where substitute teachers were regularly said to have "gone on sabbatical" when they failed to show up.

Very dark at times, but also hopeful.

"Wuthering Heights" turned out to be a tale of obsession, not love.

Sure, it was beautifully filmed, but was a dark tale of broken people.

Only "Solo Mio" truly shone, brilliantly, serving as a love story to Italy.

It was so wonderful to 'be' back in Rome at the Tripoli Fountain and on the Spanish Steps, as I had been in 2012!

I loved 'being' back on the twisty, narrow streets leading to the piazza in Siena, and actually watching Il Palio there!

And I experienced Tuscany's vineyards in a new way, along with music from Andrea Bocelli in his home!

"Nessun Dorma" never sounded more emotional than when sung by that great tenor... and Kevin James, who truly can sing opera!!!

Oh, and what about that NCG Rom-Com Film Festival movie, "How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days"?

I had to see it on my own, as Carolyn and I couldn't seem to get our schedules, and the weather, to cooperate. 

Fortunately, Comcast gave me that one as a reward a few years ago.

 

And just what notes have the weather song from Sunday, February 22nd, included for the week ahead?

Well, it rather reminds me of a line from a Herman's Hermits song.

"I'm Henery the 8th, I am,

Henery the 8th I am, I am,

I got married to the widow next door,

she's been married seven times before,

and every one was a Henery,

(Henery!) 

she wouldn't have a Willy or a Sam,

(No Sam!) 

I'm her 8th old man, I'm Henery,

Henery the 8th I am, I am,

Henery the 8th I am.

Second verse, same as the first!"

See what I mean by that?

Monday is a 'no Music Bingo' Monday yet again, with Tuesday being more of the same cold nonsense.

At least Carolyn and I have made plans to see the last of the Rom-Com movies together on Thursday, with dinner afterward!

I am so thankful for warm days sooner rather than later!

paczki to pizza!

 

"Honey, you realize that Mardi Gras, the time of fancy Polish doughnuts, has already come and gone, don't you?"

Hey, I've had these since last Sunday! I was in Publix and, lo and behold, there they were, on a rack by the front door! So, since they were raspberry Paczki, my favorite, I went ahead and snatched them up! I even had one when I got home. The last one was eaten with today's breakfast.

 

"I sure hope you had something besides all that sugar in your system! You don't need to set off your borderline hypoglycemia reaction, ya know."

No worries, dear, I'd been at a double header, double feature before the store! Today was lovely warm so I got a jump on my A*List! While I was there, I dined on free pepperoni pizza. Yes, that's right: free!!! Thanks for my AMC Rewards and the $10 in AMC gift cards "purchased' with AARP points, I paid nothing for that pizza! Hooray!

 

"Good for you!!! What movies did you see? Was there a theme?"

 

Of course there was a theme: mysterious murder movies. Complete with alliteration! (smile!) First up was "Crime 101", with the always-sexy Mark Ruffalo as an aging police detective. Everyone thinks he's after a phantom, not a serial thief. I liked having Chris Hemsworth as the conflicted high-end thief, and nice to see Nick Nolte (happy bday85 to him!), even though he played a bad guy.

 

"He's gotten a bit raspier, too, but I always liked that about him. What was the chaser to that movie?"

 

It was a foreign film! "Scare Out", from China, was all about a mole in a national security squad, and the focus is on three of the agents, including the top men, 'Huang Kai' (Zhu Yilong) and 'Yan Di' (Jackson Yee), who are best friends. Suddenly, they're pitted against each other, as the agency comes down on them. Really good movie! Get this: it was even given the approval of The Ministry of State Security of the People's Republic of China.

 

"That's interesting. What effect did that have on the movie?"

 

Well, it became quite political at the end, and very much a piece of propaganda about the importance of country over the importance of self. Of course, that's in keeping with their national security, so it was to be expected. Still, for Americans, especially civilians that have never served in the military, it could be quite jarring. I'm glad I was able to see it today! Next week looks to be fairly busy.

"Oh, wow! Does each little Elvis have something for you to do?"

 

Yep! Saturday is the only one with no hanger-on... yet. There are several possibilities, but I haven't made a decision on which event. That last one, for Sunday, is a new play from Savannah Repertory Theatre. They've come up with creative pricing to get locals back into their shows, so I'm partaking. You know they lost that place on Broughton Street, right? It was far to expensive to stay in, so they're back to their first locale.

 

"I welcome the change, both in location and pricing! I guess they're taking a cue from Savannah Stage company. I'm so glad Jayme and her troupe came to town! They're such a good influence on the others."

 

Agreed. Now, if you don't mind, I've found a movie to rent for a dollar. Comcast gave me this reward, but it's only valid for this weekend. I've chosen "The Mask", and I'm starting it now. 

"Yes, ma'am! Chick-chicka-boom!"

you have to believe we are magic...

How else to explain my presence at the Starcastle tonight?

That isn't where I'd planned to be, but the musical I'd thought of seeing ("Mean Girls") was sold out for its entire run.

Fortunately, Savannah Children's Theatre had this trick up their sleeve!!!

I'd thought this was coming next month. 

And how did I know "Xanadu" was where I was meant to be?

Programs were on the ticket counter!

The woman there knew my name before I said it!

A front row seat greeted me when I entered the performance room!

Right place, right time!

Wow!

 

By intermission, I was so amazed with this show that I sent out texts for Betsy, Laura, and Mary.

"This is sooo much fun!! Can't believe I remember the lyrics to the songs!!!"

As I told the two girls sitting next to me, I haven't seen the movie version in at least thirty years.

(Truth be told, it was probably more like 40. I'd used my keyring to mark my seat when I took a break, then told the middle-school girls the story about it. So, they were aware that I was old-er.)

 

After the musical was over, I sent another text to Betsy and my sis-in-laws, as well as my friend Robin Eifler.

"So cool having a rollerskating show here!! At Starcastle!!! Loving this!!!"

"Seriously, you should come see this!!"

Those are six of the many Muses, taking their bows at show's end, and they are all on roller skates!!!

When I had seen how empty the stage floor was, I'd hoped the "roller disco" musical would be complete with skating...

especially with all the Olympic ice dancing and figure skating I've been enjoying from men, with couples, and from women...

and my hopes came true!!!

Right place, right time!  

 

I wonder if the players were surprised to see me mouthing all the words on this opening night?

I'm serious.

I knew all the words to all the songs from 'Clio/Kira' (Juliette Delcroix) and 'Sonny Malone' (Charlie Karpf).

They were the central characters of the story.

 

Here the guy is again, along with Will Johnson, who played 'Danny', the man who'd built 'The Xanadu' a few decades ago, but never opened it.

They seem to be pretty good friends in this shot for their dads, don't they?

That's because they are!

Remember the woman who ran the Pop-Up Shop at last year's SMF?

That would be Noelle Leigh Westmoreland, and she's their teacher and music director for this spring class!

She met me at the front door and we talked for about ten minutes as the kids were all getting their photos taken.

Nice to be where people know my name.

Right place, right time! 

count it all JOY

That's the great lesson from the Figure Skating competition in Italy.

Count it all joy!

Alysa Liu had walked away from ice skating in 2023, after feeling that the sport had taken over her life.

Now, she clearly has that work-play balance not only restored, but the very thing that once caused her grief provides great joy to her.

As she herself has said multiple times, she is on the ice because she wants to be, because it is her choice, for herself and not for any other reason.

It is the canvas upon which she paints her gratitude for the world!

Wow!

For her Free Skate today, she earned 150.20, almost three points higher than the two next highest, giving her 226.79 including the Short program.

Not only did she place first in Free Skate, she won the Gold medal for Women's Figure Skating!!!

That hasn't been done for the USA for the last eight Winter Olympics! 

Shout out to Sarah Hughes for being there to see her do as she had done. 

The next highest score for the Free Skate, of 147.67, belongs to Kaori Sakamoto of Japan.

This was her final time in competition, as she is retiring from the sport.

Her total, including the Short program, is 224.90, which was the second highest of the 24 skaters.

She will be 25 years old in two months. 

So, this was a bittersweet performance for her on Olympic ice and she chose songs by Edith Piaf to mark the occasion.

Such a beautiful dance she had, full of emotion!!!

Now, she will forever remember this every time she hears that music, knowing this was the day she won her Silver medal in the Olympics!

Amber Glenn, of the USA, placed third in the Free Skate, with a score of 147.57, thanks to the encouragement from her fellow Blade Angels.

They told her to take the freedom to skate for herself, not for the competition, and to truly enjoy her time in front of the crowd.

That was very good advice after her disastrous Short program.

She was able to stay in the top five overall (total of 214.91) and that's definitely something to be proud of in Milan.

The woman who placed 4th in the Free Skate, as well as 4th in the Women's Figure Skating, was Mone Chiba of Japan.

I fully expect to see that 20-year-old at the 26th Winter Olympics.

So graceful she was for her "Romeo And Juliet" routine, so joyful to be there!

Her score of 143.88 for this part, and 217.88 for the total competition, will make her a favorite for the next time.

The next three skaters all scored within 0.5 points of each other!

Adeliia Petrosian, a Neutral Athlete, was absolutely fierce and was the only one who had two quadruples planned in her performance - WOW!

Even though she didn't complete them, she still placed 5th in the Free Skate (141.64) and 6th overall (214.53).

Imagine what her scores would have been if she had landed just one!!!

Yes, I will be watching for her next time, and so should everyone else.

Right close behind her for the Free Skate was Niina Petrokina of Estonia!

Skating to music from "Dune", she scored 141.19, just barely getting edged out (skating pun, y'all!) into 6th place for the Free Skate and 7th overall.

Ji-a Shin and Hae-in Lee, both representing South Korea, know all about getting edged out!

That's Hae-in, the 19-year-old, skating to the opera "Carmen", music she has wanted to perform with before but had saved for this Olympic moment.

She was fabulous, too!

She scored 140.49 and Ji-a scored 141.02, placing them 8th and 7th, respectively, for the Free Skate today.

Hae-in had the higher overall score (210.56), granting her 8th place for the Figure Skating overall, whereas the 15-year-old Ji-a had 206.68, landing her in 11th place for the competition.

There's another two that should return for the 2030 Winter Olympics.

And now, in 9th place with 140.45 for the Free Skate, is the lovely Ami Nakai!

In mirth and cheerfulness, she reminds me of Yuma Kagiyama!

"What A Wonderful World" provided her background music for this time of her expressing her joy of being on the ice!

Don't let that lower Free Skate score distract from her overall of 219.16!

Bear in mind that the Free Skate was just ten points below that of Alysa's today, but Ami's score yesterday gave her 1st place in the Short program.

Combined, the two parts made a whole that won her the Bronze medal!!!

That's two medals for Japan in Women's Figure Skating!!!

Brava, and brava to Alysa Liu for getting the Gold for the USA!!!

Now, before I sign off, I want to congratulate the skater from Georgia.

Was it because she secured 10th place in the Free Skate?

No, that honor goes to Sofia Samodelkina of Kazakhstan, whose total of 207.46 also secured her 10th place overall in the Women's Figure Skating.

Then why single out Anastasiia Gubanova for this post?

She made me smile with the inside joke of her skating costume and music.

(smile!)

The song was "Unchained Melody"... but she had chains all over her bodice and back with this free-skirted outfit!

She's 23 years old now, but I look forward to seeing her again in 4 years.

What a wonderful time I've had with these Winter Olympics in Milan!

i thank You, God!