burger at bingo in a booth!

"Say what? You ate a hamburger tonight???"

 

I did!

It was the day's special, and it sounded so good that I took a chance.

And it was good, too!!!

Wagyu beef, topped with chili and pickled jalapenos - wow!!!

That was some kind of tasty, let me tell ya.

Sandy had one, too, but she usually gets burgers.

She opted to skip the jalapenos, but those served as a tasty counterpoint to the chili, so I'm glad I choose to the burger as listed.

 

"I really can't believe you ate a burger at a burger joint."

 

In truth, Midtown Sports Grill is more than that.

They have spaghetti specials and other stuff, too.

In fact, their pork chops are pretty good.

 

"I'll take your word for that, dearie. So, who all was there for Music Bingo?"

 

It was our usual trio, plus Elissa this time, and in our usual booth!

That's three booths away from the Bingo Jockey's table, just in case you're curious or plan to drop in some time.

That "90's Mix #3" was our first game and I was just one away from a win!

The second game was "60's & 70's Mix #1", and all I needed was Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues" for a win there.

Then, for the 4th game, "Michael Jackson Mix', I was just one off from getting the $50 gift card!!!

All I needed was "Remember The Time".

Sounds appropriate, like it might be a joke, doesn't it?

 

"Yes, it does! A joke from the Universe for your birthday while you were out with friends, singing and dancing in your seats!"

 

Hahahaha!

Yes, that just may be right.

My blue-sky Penny texted me with a bunch of photos of flowers, so I got to share those with the others and tell them about her horticulturist husband.

This Gallardia Spintop, complete with bees, was our favorite!

Guess what the color is?

Mariachi Red!!!

That reminded me of one of my favorite "Will Trent" episodes.

Titled "Mariachi Shelly's Frankenstein", it was crammed full of puns inspired by two things: the Mariachi band trapped at the police station during a blackout and the book report that Ormwood had been helping his kid write about the 1818 book.

"We have to be strong and MARIACHI on."

"Jesus, MARIACHI, and Joseph!"

 

"Hahahaha!!! Oh, yes, I loved that one! Very serious moments, but interspersed with moments of puns as three of the guys struggled to get a generator up the stairs. I wish I could remember more of them, as they were delightful!"

 

That's for real!

And here's a bit of fun that was starting just as I got home.

"The Quiz With Balls" was having a swimsuit edition, with lifeguards taking on a bunch of beauty queens.

Those guys may be a bit young for a purple panther like me, but I can still enjoy the view!

 

"Incredible!!! What great fun! And how did the lifeguards fare?"

 

That guy in the middle, wearing the glasses?

That's Reigh, who had a delicious sense of humor and good smarts.

He graduated with a mechanical engineering degree!!!

He was the last man standing and he made it to the third question in his bid against the Golden Balls for the $100,000.

He chose "Famous Scientists", getting right the first two.

The third question was "Which one was an oarsman at Oxford?"

I give him credit for knowing it had to be an Englishman...

but he was too young to have ever thought of Stephen Hawking as being capable of such a thing.

Into the water he went!

 

"Ah, yes, the misconception that a disabled person was always so."

 

Indeed.

Still, it certainly was a nice dessert after my dinner with the girls!

(smile!)

today, i went to a muse-ical in rincon!

And guess what?

Orpheus was there, singing "Time In A Bottle"!!!

He dedicated it to the long-gone Eurydice. 

That guy has gotten around, hasn't he?

First he was in the play last week, and now he's in Rincon at the Hive Repertory Theater's event!

Not that he was the focus of this jukebox musical.

Not hardly.

In "The Olympians", the spotlight is on the three goddesses having a grudge match about who was best.

To settle it, they each choose a human to set on a quest, with the winning goddess being the one whose choice reaches Mount Olympus first.

Here's warrior Zoey, to whom Artemis sings "You Make My Dreams" come true!

Wooo hooo, woohoo!

Aphrodite found Lexi as her champion!

The girl was singing about the "goddess on the mountain top... had what no one else had!"

Hey, "Venus" is just another name for the love goddess!

As for Athena, a goatherd named Sofia was the one she beseeched to "Breakaway" from her grandma and go on a quest to find the lost girdle of Hippolyta.

And what looks odd here?

Sofia is reading from a script!

Get this: she was tagged just two hours before the play to be on stage for someone who was sick - what a valiant trouper!

Aphrodite was another trouper, stepping in only a week ago for someone who had to leave - amazing!!!

So, here we are: three goddesses, three humans, with each expected to run their own quest.

Instead, the trio of girls mystify the goddesses by working together!

Here they are on the streets of Athens, trying to stay ahead of the police.

Why are they being chased?

Lone females aren't allowed to wander about!

That's what the gate guards told them and those mustache-wearing guys are serious!

Back and forth across the stage ran the guard!

"One Way Or Another", they sang, "we're gonna find ya, we're gonna getcha getcha getcha getcha!"

Fortunately for our plucky trio of humans...

and Lexi's younger brother, Zander...

the guards never even come close to getting them.

Whew!

Next stop: the Oracle, to receive clues to the girdle's location.

They didn't realize that the three goddesses hit that location first, to give the Oracle (actually the Narrator in disguise!) the scroll.

The goddesses lingered too long and had to pose as statues - lol!

But Zoey, Lexi, and Sofia finally arrive at the right place, receive their marching orders, and set off on their quest!

They're barely on it when Artemis' twin brother, Apollo, throws a monkey wrench into the mix, having all but Zoey "Walking On Sunshine" as a shortcut, kinda sorta.

End of Act One!

I sure did enjoy this very much!!!

Plus, the crew at HiveRepTh did me a solid, granting me a seat that was front and center of the stage - y'all know what I like!!!

Oh, and there was even a joke from Orpheus!

Zander picked up the other instrument, calling it a lyre.

Orpheus corrected him, saying "No, my lyre was stolen by luters [looters]... and they didn't even know how to play it!"

Hahahahaha!!!!

Yes, this was well worth the ride to Rincon and the $20 ticket!!!

today, i got dressed

That most definitely counts as news.

For the last two days, I've been in my nightgown.

That would be all day, all afternoon, all evening, all night.

I wasn't going anywhere, so why get dressed and tempt myself to venture out?

Indeed. 

This morning, I was still in my nightgown as I watched the Easter service - well, the latter part of it - with the Asbury contingent viewing on fb.

I've been in bed every night by 11 PM, if not before. 

Last night, however, had brought a bout of insomnia that had me up every hour until I relented and stayed up.

I watched the Thursday reward movie from Comcast: "Meet The Millers".

I dimly recalled seeing it before, though I'd somehow forgotten about Jennifer Aniston's stripper routines.

By the time it was done, I was ready for sleep, as the time coincided with my regular bedtime, i.e., about 2:30 AM.

I woke up about 10:30 AM, but didn't leap out of bed.

After all, I'm not the Easter bunny.

Bah dumm dum.

Just a little - very little! - joke to show I'm still here. 

(smile!) 

I caught most of Rev. Billy's sermon, so that was good.

Then came the "Alleluia Chorus" at the end, with folks in the congregation being invited to come up on stage with the choir.

I really loved that!

It seemed to liven me up, too.

After putting away the breakfast remains (Chocolate Ensure and two fig cookies), and verifying that my bowels were working well, I got dressed.

I'm wearing my dark blue dress with daisies.

Technically, it's a nightgown with pockets, but it looks like a casual dress and I've worn it as such on several occasions.

I will say this: it feels good to be in clothes for a change.

That includes wearing a bra for the first time since Wednesday morning. 

(smile!) 

And now, I have a lovely bouquet of flowers from the Easter service!

Chuck Long came by to deliver them just a few minutes ago.

My thanks to Asbury Memorial Church for this gorgeous display!

Now, what shall I do with my day?

Do I dare to drive my car yet?

Hmm... no, I think not.

While it's true that this is the first day that my brain doesn't still reel from anesthesia, I prefer to wait until tomorrow.

Meanwhile, I have plenty of movies to watch on TV.

Let me go find which one is next...

rhapsody in blue is one hundred and two

 

Hint: I meant the title to be read as if it were a poem. 

That 26-minute composition by George Gershwin was the highlight for me!!!

I'm fairly certain I've not heard it before in its entirety, and I know very well that I've never heard it from just a piano and a clarinet.

This was not just any ordinary clarinet, either.

Seth Kibel bought the silver-bedecked instrument from a man in Pennsylvania that custom made it.

Isn't it absolutely gorgeous?!!

Here's Seth playing that opening glissando, while Daniel Weiser's hands waited, poised to strike the piano keys at the precise moment that the clarinet ceased its wail - so awesome!!!

I'm glad this was the finale at today's concert!

I cannot imagine anything trying to follow that piece!

When it first premiered in 1924, on what would have been Abraham Lincoln's 115th birthday, it had been the penultimate of 26 musical pieces.

What a long concert that had to have been!

How did I know all that?

Daniel Weiser was absolutely full of such tales and regaled us with them several times during this matinee concert at the Savannah JEA.

The two men together are AmiciMusic, who came here last year, too, with their musical history lesson.

Today's was titled, "Jewish Jazz, The Sequel: Return of the 'Jew'di" - gotta love that "Star Wars" pun!!!

I'm sure that's what had drawn Rabbi Haas and his family there, though his little girl was quite disappointed to not see Princess Leia or Luke Skywalker there, so they left fairly early.

Not I!

I was there from Scott Joplin's ragtime ("The Favorite") through all three Hassidic Tunes collected by Lev Kogan.

I stayed for two that built the house of Sammy Cahn (the Anglicized Yiddish tunes, "Bei Mir Bist Du Schein" and "Yosl, Yosl"), the man known for "Three Coins In The Fountain".

There were also two pieces from famous clarinetists Ziggy Elman and Bela Kovacs before a little dessert reception.

Very sweet!

Then we had "Viktor's Tale", by John Williams, as well as a funny anecdote.

Apparently, when he was approached to do music for "Schindler's List", Williams told Steven Spielberg that he didn't think he was good enough.

Spielberg apparently replied, "I know, but all the good ones are dead."

Hahahaha!!!

Williams won the Oscar for Best Original Score for that movie!

What else today?

Oh, yes, three pieces from the prolific Harold Arlen: "Stormy Weather", "It's Only A Paper Moon", and "Come Rain Or Come Shine" - all magnificent!!!

Ella Fitzgerald once described him as "the Negro-ist white man she'd ever known."

High praise indeed!!! 

Then the concert ended on that fabulous "Rhapsody In Blue", with its mimicry of a train clack-clack-clacking along at one point.

Of course I thought of Sheldon Cooper!

You don't spend twelve years with a man in your house and not think of him when his favorite topic comes up!

(smile!)

Now, I'm going to catch the 5 PM screening of "Sinners"!

That should set me up right nicely to cheer it on at the Oscars tonight!

a tale of two elliots

To tell the truth, I'd been a little concerned about this reboot of a show that I'd enjoyed twenty years ago.

Yes, I'm talking about "[scrubs]", still written in lower-case and with the brackets it wore for nine years.

The three major characters - 'J.D.' (Zach Braff), 'Turk' (Donald Faison), 'Elliot' (Sarah Chalke) - had all been 26, 27, and 25, respectively, in 2001, when the series began.

Those were all reasonable ages for medical interns, and as they aged, they moved into new jobs, as they should.

Now, it's 2026, so they're all at least 50 years old.

What the heck's going on???

Fortunately, the series has jumped ahead the quarter-century in time, right along with the actors of those characters.

'J.D.' and 'Elliot' had married, but are divorced and never had children; 'Turk' and 'Carla' are still married and have four daughters of various ages.

Okay, that's good, but what's going to make the show work?

Here's what: they kept the song, and they kept the format: it's still a vlog of the thoughts and daydreams of 'J.D.'. 

Very nice!!!

In tonight's episode, "My Rom-Com", there was a line I just loved!

'Elliot' is upset about the new towel dispenser in the bathroom and 'Carla' tells her to get a grip.

Her response is priceless: "I can't get a grip, my hands are wet."

Hahahaha!!!

After that, I pulled up an episode of "Just Shoot Me!" that I'd recorded two days ago.

I really like that show... but it doesn't come on until 3 AM on Mondays.

So, I try to remember its schedule so I can enjoy on my time!

Here's the thing: I had not realized that it's 'Elliot' was spelled the same.

Hahahaha!

On this show, that character is a male photographer who gets to point his camera - all puns intended - at all the hot models. 

I do so love Enrico Colantoni in that role!

This time, in "What The Teddy Bear Saw", he's talking to 'Nina', who has just expressed one of her usual dingbat thoughts.

He then asks, "When you tilt your head to the side, does it sound like a rainstick?"

Hahahaha!

Just think, if I hadn't run these two shows back to back, I would have missed the similarity: they both give me jokes and puns!

Right place, right time!

(smile!)

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!)

soup afterglow

1. Dawn not only had sliced at least six types of bread, prepared a luscious salad and various toppings, set a gorgeous table with fancy place ware for fifteen, but also supplied a variety of wines to delight!

2. Dawn also prepared fifteen attendee gift bags, gift-wrapped five raffle prizes, and prepared four deluxe prize bags for the cheftestants! That's Jenn helping to distribute.

3. My little bag bag received simply for being there contained all these goodies! There's a dish towel that proclaims "Timing Is Everything", a shotglass that measures teaspoons and tablespoons, new measuring spoons, a package of chicken bouillon, a container of parsley flakes, and a bottle of Flavor Boss Smoky Apricot BBQ Sauce - wow!!! Every bag was slightly different, but similar. How fortunate that I got the Apricot BBQ Sauce!

4. Dawn had a game to play, as she does for all her parties. This time it was Soup Trivia and I got all 15 questions correct! Just for knowing about Borscht and Ribollita and Tom Yum Gai and Vichyssoise and Gazpacho. As I told them, I eat a lot of soup! And now I have this cookbook that's just perfect for me: Cook It Quick. Right place, right time! It was given gift-wrapped, so the Universe made sure her hand landed on that particular one!

5. Dawn had a joke book, too, to keep things moving along! What is a ghost's favorite soup? Scream of Broccoli! What do you do when you notice two flies are in your soup? Find out what swim stroke they're doing! Hahahaha!

6. Dawn also had questions for us to answer so we could know each other better. The game tonight was Five Fingers, to count off on your hand answers to five questions. Those were: who is your favorite person, where is your favorite place, what skill have you learned, what is a favorite memory, and what is a favorite little treat? My answers were: my first niece, Christina Ann; Savannah, with all its trees; sewing; playing outdoor chess with Miyah and Chloe; and watching "Keeping Up Appearances". Most of the women are married, so their favorite people are their husbands. I just loved hearing everyone's answers to those questions... and learning more about them!

7. Many thanks to newcomer Julie for sharing her stash of alcohol-free drinks with me! She'd brought a six-pack of the Mango Margarita cans, planning to switch to them after a glass of wine. When she noticed that I was drinking wine, she offered one to me... and it was delicious! Then she gave me another! I know they didn't have alcohol in them, but they made me feel like I was participating in the ritual of drinking with friends. Very nice, as that has been absent from my life since A-fib arrived.

8. Many thanks also to Gina! She made four different types of biscotti as dessert and at the night's end, she gave me the rest of them!!! Cherry with vanilla, blueberry with lemon, pineapple with coconut, and cranberry with honey - no strawberry at all. Hooray! I'm so glad we had a chance to sit beside each other last night!

asbury christmas party for all!

Here we are, waiting our turn at Table 14, to be called to get in line for the annual Christmas feast!

I sat with Karen Townsend and her adopted son, B-man as he's called.

I also had Ruthie Deffley and Linda Socks, as well as a bunch of excited kids!

Ray Ellis is up there on stage with Rev. Billy, but he eventually sat with us, too.

Ray, that is, not Billy.

Billy led us in the blessing of the food, then Ray provided some comic relief in the form of jokes.

Yes, I said jokes!!!

"What does a Christmas tree do before it goes out?"

Spruce up!!!

"What did one Christmas tree say to the other?"

Lighten up!

"How do Christmas trees get their email?"

They log in!

"Where do elves go swimming?"

At the north pool!

Hahahaha! Hahaha!

We were the sixth table to have our number drawn - hooray!

I had no fewer than four types of meat!!!

There was fried chicken breast, marinated pork loin, baked ham, and smoked turkey.

The Grinch would certainly have been thrilled, I do believe!

I was also one of the few who made sure to grab a few desserts before returning to my seat there at the head of the table.

That Asbury cake, with the honey and pecans, was truly quite divine!

I made sure to take some of that home with me!!!

But the biggest treat for me wasn't the visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus.

No, the best part was the pineapple casserole that someone brought.

It had been surmised that it was squash, but it certainly was not.

I knew from the very first bite: that was a dish Mama used to make.

I've never known anyone but her to make it.

What a wonderful surprise!

Right place, right time.

Some of that went home with me, too.

i thank You, God.

front porch of the jea!

This was meant as a gift for members of the Savannah JEA, but they opened up the comedy show for any and all... so I accepted the invite!

I tried to get a few others to come, including my Monday-night crew, but they had other plans... so I took myself there!

After all, 'tis the season and I love gifts!

I was amazed by how much talk of Christmas there was by the children at the Jewish Educational Alliance!!!

Right place, right time!!!

Front Porch Improv had five members of their troupe present.

I never caught the name of the keyboard man, but the others are Jesse, Abby, Beth, and Ava, and they put on a fabulous hour of fun!!!

I was delighted that they used two of my lines in the comedy skits, too!

The first of those instances was in the second sketch, with Abby and Jesse over at Grayson Stadium playing baseball on the diamond, kinda sorta like I have done there as well as when  I was in Iowa. 

Jesse had just hit the ball, then he pulled the slip out of his pocket and said, "Are we there yet?" - hahaha!

He told her it was his catchphrase... was that a baseball pun?!?!

I'm saying it was!

(smile!)

The next skit that used a suggestion from me was near the end of the hour.

Jesse was up again, this time for "Press Conference", where he had to guess why he was being lauded.

The other troupe members asked him questions and he found out he was a swimmer who had crossed the Atlantic Ocean, pulling an elephant, with Barney as his travel companion... very funny!

And that bit about the elephant... that was mine!!!

Wondering why that would have been on my mind?

A couple of skits earlier was all about asking the audience for jokes.

Why did the chicken cross the playground? To get to the other slide!

What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire? Frostbite!

Why was the bee's hair spiky? He used a honeycomb!

Hahahaha!

I was going to tell one of Mama's elephant jokes, but missed the chance.

Nice that I got the elephant in there another way.

i thank You, God!

Now, I've been home again, watching the Grand Prix ice skating highlights, aired instead of football by one of the local stations.

Guess what I just saw?

My man, Yuma Kagiyama, winning another silver medal at this event!!!

He's 20 years old now, and still just delightful to watch!

Right place, right time!

(smile) 

fb flashback: 24 November 2011

Let me set the stage.

It's been two years since Daddy died, and this was my second year of going to my paternal cousin's home for Thanksgiving.

Amazingly, I'd managed to talk my middle brother into going with me.

Amazing!

We even made it a two-fer, visiting our maternal cousin while there.

What a trip that had been!

So, here's the slide show!

We began our visits in North Augusta, SC.

Here's Ronnie with our cousin, Sharon, younger daughter of Mama's brother, our Uncle Jimmy, and his first wife, Aunt Janet.

Ronnie had pose time with Susan, too, Sharon's not-yet-official wife.

They've been together since college, more than twenty years earlier.

Sharon's brother, Ricky, will be coming over later, as well as Ashley, daughter of her sister, Valerie.

Meanwhile, it was time to head south to Augusta, GA.

Our paternal cousin, Bev, was awaiting us and she'd made sure to have plenty of my favorite food: the cranberry-sauced oranges!

Math joke: I ate some pie! 

Another joke: the time of this post!

Here's Bev's mom, our Daddy's one-and-only sister, Aunt Barbara and her third husband, John.

Bev's dad was Aunt Barbara's first husband, Bill.

And just why was Aunt Barbara standing?

All that talk of pie had whetted Ronnie's appetite for some dessert!

Would he prefer pecan or pumpkin?

"Both, please!," was his reply.

Everyone got a kick out of that and followed his lead!

After, we all hung out and chatted.

Ronnie even let Lucas test drive his hat!

Lucas is the son of Tyson, son of Bev and Allen, and his wife, Jenny.

Bev and Allen's younger daughter, Terri, was there with her husband, Mike.

Bev and Allen's other two children, Robbie and Leeman were absent that day; she had to work and he lives (still) in Korea.

Our other two paternal cousins, Bonnie Clark and Becky Ferguson, were missing, too.

The first lived in Hawaii and the other resides (still) in Texas.

What a marvelous time we had with them!

I'm so grateful he chose to go with me that day.

i thank You, God. 

for love of a great-aunt

"Does that mean some of the little blondes in Hinesville have sent postcards to you?"

 

Nope, not yet. I know it sometimes takes a while for their parents to get them into the mail, even though I did make sure to stamp and address them. Want to guess again?

 

"Well, I know you went to a new musical today..."

 

There ya go! Actually, I was incorrect on that. I thought the Savannah Musical Theatre Festival events were all new musicals, but that wasn't quite right. In retrospect, I'm glad I didn't have the money for the entire 3-day, 5-event schedule. These were all staged readings of musicals in the developmental process. That means no set design, no costumes, and no props. Well, I take that back. The one I attended did make use of a child's noise-maker that mooed like a cow.

 

"Did you say "mooed"? Like, bovine noises?"

 

That's right, and it was pretty funny, though it wasn't intended to be. "The Top Hand Of Lone Tree Ranch" is a western musical, based on the 1960 book of the same title. It was the story of a boy living with his older sister and their grandpa while the parents were at a hospital for the dad's recovery from an accident. James Venhaus, the playwright, chose the book because his Great-Aunt Anne Pence Davis wrote it. My guess is she gave him the book as a boy, much as I have done for my great-nieces and great-nephews with my pumpkin book.

 

"Oh, yeah, I remember that book!"

 

I had such fun writing that... but, I digress. As I said, this was a bare-bones production, with the primary goal being to get audience feedback after. I'll say this: the playwright was kept busy writing suggestions most of the hour of that "talk back" session. That's him on the far right. He teaches at Savannah Country Day, which is where Gabriella Galoni and Emmett Witchel attend. Those two kids were 'Janie' - the older sister - and 'Paddy', the boy. 

 

"They're over on the left, right? To either side of the older guy that must be the grandpa? And isn't that Justice of the Savannah Music Festival by them?"

 

Yes, yes, and yes. Justice was just there as the moderator of the "talk back". 'Grandpa' was read, and sung, by Gary David Keast, a newcomer to me. Then there's Rayshawn Roberts who's done a lot of works with the SavChildTh in the past. He was the only one with three roles! He had 'Mr. Mitchell', the rancher. Then he did 'the Shopkeeper', and finished up as the 'Dad'. Standing next to him in this scene was Laura Wild, as 'Mom', but she also played 'the Shopkeeper's Wife' in the scene where 'Paddy' comes in to buy some sweet feed for the young calf left behind accidentally by 'Mr. Mitchell'. It really is a sweet tale about a boy learning the value of being honest, applicable as much now as it was back then in the 1950's in rural Texas.

 

"Most excellent! And who was the woman in the flowered dress?"

 

That's Luisa Nolasco. She was the narrator and also operated the 'moo' toy. She's been in several of the SavStageCo's works the last few years.

 

"Well, did you like it???"

 

I very much did! I just wish I had read more on Savannah Repertory Theatre's website so I would have been better prepared for what I was getting. At least they had a variety of ticket options for this! I chose the $10 Community Ticket, as it was considerably less than the $27 Senior/Military Ticket. I believe that all the tickets should have been $10, as this was not yet a finished work, but I also understand that they had to pay for that space at the Savannah Cultural Arts Center.

 

"What a great break on the tickets! And how nice to have seen something that was a different genre than many musicals!"

 

For sure! This has been quite a Western-themed day for me! Before I came to this, I was on fb and my friend Sherry Giddens had posted a Western joke! "If you talk to a cow while you're milking it you will get more milk. It's the old in one ear and out the udder!" I proceeded to share that with lots of folks right then and there! My youngest brother, Tony, even sent me a chemistry joke meme in return!!!

 

"Hahahaha! Too bad there's no "J" on the Periodic Table!"

 

Hey, I was just happy that he thought of me when he saw that! I was not about to rain on his parade. It's not like he designed that meme. He just found it and sent it my way!

 

"What about the new elements that filled in the 7th Period? No "J" in them?"

 

Nope, nary a one had a "J". Very impressive to see that all filled in, isn't it? That's been since late January of this year. So, now there's talk of creating and filling in an 8th Period. Of course, none of those elements exist outside a lab, and then their presence is so brief that verifying them is difficult. Still, it brings to mind that conversation I had with Cedric years ago, doesn't it?

 

"Most def it does! Science has progressed so quickly the last few decades!"

 

Yes, it has. Life in general has sped up so much since the cellphone age began. Today has been a bit of a respite to a slower pace. For instance, this evening I watched "Westward The Women", a 1951 Western I spotted on GritTV and taped a day or so ago. I'm glad I did! Talk about a slower pace... it took that wagon train several months to go from Chicago to a small mining town in California! Such a good movie!

 

"I'm glad you've enjoyed your step back in time today! That's been a nice break from the usual, hasn't it, dear?"

 

It has been, it truly has. 

(smile!)

five dances, and all new to me!!!

"Seriously? You actually maximized the full potential of the AMC A*List this time?"

Seriously, I did! Of course, that was after getting only one movie in last week. Remember I had predicted that "Freakier Friday" would be the limit? Well, it was. Good thing that it was a movie I really enjoyed! It could have been such a train wreck, but they managed to keep it on the rails. Carolyn had not liked it, though. Ah, well.

"Oh, did the two of you see it together?"

Nope, but we do text back and forth about them, as we always do. I keep expecting to run into her at the cinema, but it rarely happens. I thought for sure she would have been there on Sunday, as I knew she came into town for church. Alas, I did not see her before or after the two dances I had that day, nor all week.

"So, you did your double header on Sunday???"

I did! I needed to be out around people, but not too close. You see, some of the folks who'd traveled in for the SVF13 opera tested positive on Friday for COVID-19. Dumb, wealthy, idiots. I makes me crazy that folks act like that coronavirus is gone and they can just carry on however they want. (sigh)

"Oh, no! That's terrible!"

Yeah, we had to break out the masks and hope for the best. I had planned to go over to Tony and Laura's on Sunday, hang out with the family for Bert's 9th birthday. However, I abstained, as I didn't want to be giving the boy an unwanted gift of illness, not to mention everyone else there. So, I went to the cinema, knowing I could sit well away from anyone else... and that's exactly how it turned out. I watched "Shin Godzilla 4K" first, not realizing it was from 2016. Odd, right? But that movie perfectly displayed how slowly government works, with none of the elected officials wanting to take responsibility for expensive decisions - pretty funny! That movie also went through the monster morphing into four forms, each worse than the other, with the people having to change their plans each time.

"Hahahaha! So, a Japanese two-step, was it?" 

You got that right! Then I was off to "Weapons", billed as "horror" and "dark comedy". It was neither. "Fantasy" would have been more apt. I had been concerned about children getting hurt in it, but none of the 18 were.

"I thought there were 17 kids that went missing..."

... and 1 that did not. The poster and promos didn't mention 'Alex', the only classmate left behind. Nor was his Pennywise-esque 'Aunt Gladys', who had suddenly started living with the child's family. I will say that Amy Madigan was suitably creepy in that role! But her presence didn't make this "horror". She certainly wasn't the only odd character, either, as the teacher was plenty creepy, too. Kudos to Josh Brolin as a bereaved dad with an analytical mind! I very much appreciated his methodology as he tried to find out what had become of his son, 'Matthew', and the other 16 who vanished.

"Very good! I'm glad you took a chance on that one."

Me, too. It isn't anything I'd watch again, but it was well made. I liked the nonlinear story arc, too, with "chapters" dealing with key characters, giving some back story. That rather reminded me of "Cold Pursuit", though without the body count. (smile!)

"Yes, dear. I'm betting "Nobody 2" more than made up for that lack!"

Not surprisingly, it did. LOL! The whole finale at the theme park is just fabulous!!! I'm planning to see it again just for all the shenanigans there! Oh, and for Christopher Lloyd!!! The 86-year-old man stole every blessed scene he was in... and never once removed his sunglasses! What a great trick, having him play the Grandpa of the family! Actually, it was nice to have the other family members get some character development this time around. I really liked this one so much more than the first one.

"That's wonderful! And you saw that one on Tina Tuesday, I see."

I did, as a treat after I became a part of the Borg collective. This sequel will most def be seen again! Maybe I'll run into the hat-wearing young man and his mom who were also there - that would be nice! I had quite the chat with them after the movie!

"That's even more wonderful!"

And I had another long post-movie chat after today's film! That was "Honey Don't!", about a lesbian dick trying to find out why her clientele keeps turning up dead. Trick and Tara were there, too!!! Sitting in the front row, too!!! How wonderful to see them again!!! Both of their daughters have given them grandchildren now. I bragged on their son, Skylar, too, providing the great tunes during a dinner with friends.

"Hold up, g'friend. The movie was about who doing what?"

A lesbian... oh, I see what's tripping you up. Maybe I should have said 'private investigator' instead of 'dick', is that it? Hahahaha! Trust me, when you see the movie, you'll know why thought of that with 'Honey'!

"Oh, I see, you were trying to be cute about it, slip in a pun. Gotcha! So, Trick and Tara are grandparents? I guess so. It's been three years since you've even seen them."

Hey, as I told those two former Odd Lot folks, this one had the same "Modern Western" feel to it as "Americana." did last night. I didn't know any of the actors in either one, but found both to be very well done, with solid acting and solid stories. I'm hoping that 2023 film seen at NCG Cinema might show up on Peacock someday soon! Plus, I liked the bumper sticker on one of the trucks: "My heroes have always killed cowboys." Trust me, that's a perfect joke on Indian land! And guess what? That movie seen off the A*List only cost $3.52, as I had little balances on the two NCG gift cards I brought in! Hooray!!!

"Well, I am glad you have had such a satisfying week of movies! I'm glad you managed to fill that dance card, too. Best of all, I am very glad that none of these were repeats for you! You have had plenty of that of late. Nice to have new movies filling the screens!"

Heard that, sister! Let's hope that trend continues a little, but not totally. I do want to see some of this week's movies again! Now, let me wrap up this post before I lose power again during this thunderstorm. It wasn't out long, but that was long enough!

seagulls and opera?

 

Cenerentola has returned to the stage she left exactly four years ago.

Did I happen t say that it's been exactly four years, to the day?

Well, it has been, and she's a bit taller now, but still radiant!!!

The "she" this time is Carlyle Quinn, the mezzo-soprano whose voice I had been so  taken by in the first SVF13 show.

The swashbuckling prince in her wake as their stroll catches the Maestro's gaze is Stephen Steffens - and, yes, that's his real name.

I don't know why they were on their way to the stage, as showtime was well over an hour hence.

What a handsome pair they are! 

Then, another bewitching hour has lapsed and their tale - "Cinderella's Royal Feast" - has run its course and the seagulls have stolen the show!

That's them, roosting at the highest point on stage, over on the right.

Voiced by Henry Drangel and William Velasco, they truly had the best lines and even told us some jokes!

One bird to the other: "Why is it so easy to steal food from humans?"

The other to the first: "Because they're so gull-ible."

Hahahaha!  Hahaha!!

One bird to the other: "Why do seagulls like to tell jokes?"

The other to the first: Because they're caw-caw-comedians!"

Hahahaha! Hahaha!! 

Sure the jokes are pure corn, but they're from a couple of birdbrains!

Hahahaha! Hahaha!! 

That last one was pure me, y'all - couldn't you tell?

(smile!)

John Tisbert - yes! The 'Tiz!! - played the evil stepdad, Don Magnifico (not to be confused with Mr. Fantastic or Mister Terrific), and he has some choice words, too.

Those are tongue twisters!!!

"She sells seashells by the seashore" was one of those!

What great fun!

And get this: Theo even played a role on stage!!!

The Milnes-Zouves' son was the Fox!

I cannot recall a single time in the past when he has been part of the cast.

Behind the scenes, yes, plenty.

But actually on stage???

With lines???

Wow.

Yes, I said he was the Fox, and yes, there were seagulls, and there were also rabbits, three mice (not blind, just more like a Greek chorus), a cat, two snakes, and even two chimney spiders. 

Remember them?

They're the ones who bit Cenerentola as she cleaned said house chimney, thereby granting her the power to understand all creatures.

That's at least as good as what Spider-Man got from his arachnid bite!

All of that about the animals was straight out of the initial World Premiere of "A Royal Feast" on August 14, 2021. 

I'm sure "Cinderella's Royal Feast" must have some notable differences, as this, too, was deemed a World Premiere performance.

I'll have to ask Michael Ching about that the next time I see him.

Both have certainly been a lot of fun!

And, having it at Yamacraw Center over at Garrison Arts Academy certainly allowed a lot more children easy access to some opera in their life!

I'm so glad this season has been looking to involve more youngsters!

(smile!)