why this 2nd weekend is better in reboot 2025

By this time in the original start of this year, I'd only seen one musical.

True, that was on the 11th day of 2025, and this day is also the 11th day of reboot 2025.

However, "Sister Act" was performed by high school students.

Neither of the musicals today had high

schoolers, but one did have teens.

That one was "Into The Woods", by the Garrison Art Academy, at their Yamacraw Performing Arts Center, for the sum of only $17.

For a musical!!!

Yes, I am so glad that I have discovered that this school has public performances, too.

I'm doubly glad to have known of this specific show!

"Into The Woods" is one of my favorites, as it compiles several fairy tales into one story, via a childless baker and his wife. That couple serve to link four into a cohesive delight.

The baker has a family curse, brought on by his father stealing greens and beans from a witch's garden for his wife when she was pregnant with their second child, a daughter the witch took.

To remove the hex, the baker must procure a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn, and a shoe made of gold.

That makes for much laughter along the way for us!

The first photo is of the baker and his wife, followed by the one with Jack, his cow, and his mom.

Then there's Little Red Riding Hood, in constant motion trying to elude the rascally wolf!

And, in that final photo, there are the two princes singing of "Agony!" because they cannot find their two true loves!

The one on the ground seeks Rapunzel, the baker's sister, locked in a high tower she cannot escape because there is no door.

The one standing seeks Cinderella, who stole his heart at the ball and then ran, leaving only a shoe behind.

Neither prince can understand why a woman would elude them!

Very funny song!!!

And that was all before the second act!

Such a lovely way to pass a Saturday afternoon!

(smile!)

Then, I got a second musical for Saturday night!!!

That one was performed at Hive Repertory 

Theatre's site in Rincon.

"You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown" was a typical "children's" musical with a definite twist: all the performers were adult and all were women!!!

I wish I knew their names, but there were no programs for this performance.

This one-act show was compiled of sketches, making it very much in keeping with the movie about him that I saw around Thanksgiving.

Come to think of it, that makes this the perfect bookend for the earlier compilation of stories!

How about that...

I wasn't even trying for a theme with this double header and I got one.

Right place, right time.

(smile!)

sbhf36 with ballethnic dancing!

"Is it time already for the Savannah Black Heritage Festival?"

Indeed it is! The SBHF36 actually began on February 1st, but this has been the first event I've attended. That's primarily because it's been the first one I've heard about! I'm sure that its title - "Dance And Music For The Soul" - helped catch my attention!

"Nice that it's free, too!"

All of the SBHF36 events are free, as they always have been. The City of Savannah is one of the sponsors, so I'm glad to know where some of my city property taxes are being spent.

"That means it's something you've already paid for. No wonder you make sure to attend!"

You betcha! All this cost me was $1 for parking. I could have chanced not getting a parking fine, but, why bother? I found a lovely space near Johnny Mercer Theatre, where the event was held, so I was delighted. And that was before I even walked in!

"Good for you! Did you see anyone you knew?"

Nope. As far as I could tell, mine was the only Caucasian face in the audience. Their loss! Ballethnic, a dance troupe out of Atlanta, was fabulous!!! Its cofounder, Nina Gilreath, was there to introduce the group and to even lead the audience in a dance class, a la the classic "Soul Train" TV show. Just look at how many people came up to participate!!!

"Wow!!! That's amazing! And there are people of all ages up there!"

Yes, and that presented a problem with time. It took quite a while to get all of those folks onto the stage, then another long stretch of time to get them off and back to their seats. That meant they may have had to cut one of their dances from the second half of the program. I can't say that for certain, as their were no printed programs for the show. I did get a brochure for the SBHF, with all the events planned for this festival of "Reimagining Excellence", so that will help me plan my entertainment schedule, so that was good. By the way, this is the first time that Ballethnic has been here since the SBHF in 2020, just before the pandemic struck here in the USA.

"Very good to have them here again!"

Yes, it was. Plus, they have more than dancers. Adam McKnight is a singer who travels with the troupe. That's him, singing "I Can't Stop The Rain", while three dancers perform with two-tone umbrellas all around him. I very much liked that!

"Me, too! Plus, I enjoyed the last song and dance! That had drum accompaniment, with Nena even playing one of the three drums."

That's right! I think the piece was called "Walz Fin", but I'm not sure. I do recall her saying that the crowd in Norway had very much liked it.

"Yes, I heard her say that, too. Well, time to wrap this up before your man comes on."

Hahahaha! Yes, Alan Ruck is on "Elspeth" tonight, so I'm looking forward to this episode. Sometimes she's a bit much to take, but that's a risk I'll take if he's going to be there! Guess that means I gotta go. Bye!

why these two a*lists are better, too

Two words: foreign films!!! 

I'd ended my A*List, and started my reboot of 2025, with "Detective Chinatown 1900", which was partially in Chinese, partly in Native American, and totally excellent!

On Tuesday, I saw "Den Of Thieves 2: Pantera" after my luncheon with Dawn.

One note: it's been six years since the first movie came out, so I really didn't recall much of nothing about the story line between Gerard Butler and Oshea Jackson, Jr. for this sequel.

So what had finally drawn me to see this?

The majority of the setting was in France... and, I admit, it was nice to see Nice again.

After all, my trip to France was back in 2002, so it's been a while. 

I also loved having that little inside joke in my back pocket!

(smile!)

 

 "Flight Risk" was on the 27th and was an exhilarating flight on a four-seater plane through snow-capped, mountainous terrain in Alaska and Canada.

Also, I netted 1000 Bonus Points for seeing it!

I know, AMC has the date wrong, but I kept my ticket stub, so... hooray for me!

(smile!)

I'll be getting another 1000 Bonus Points for "Companion", the new science fiction film.

Oh, wait... nope, I missed that deadline.

That's okay, as I very much liked the movie anyway.

It had a definite Stepford Wives vibe, along with attention to Isaac Asimov's Laws of Robotics, plus some excellent music.

I'd gladly see it again!

I can't say I'd see the other two twice, though.

"The Seed Of The Sacred Fig", set in Tehran, Iran, was a film that became increasingly tense as it went on, as it was a family drama ostensibly about a missing gun, but actually about a father that had missed out on much of his now-teenaged daughters' lives.

The Arabic title translates to "Today I Am Angry", which seems appropriate.

Oddly, that title reminds me of one of my favorite foreign films, although it was science fiction and much lighter than this historical piece.

Anyway, the 2024 Irani film was last Friday.

Today's movie was from 2023, Angel Studios' "Brave The Dark", on its last day in town.

Based on the true story of Stan Deen, a high school teacher who made it a point to help struggling students, to the point of becoming a legal guardian to one who was headed for a life in jail after years in the foster care system.

The movie was good, but not quite as realistic as it should be.

Then again, this production studio does tend to soft-pedal bad news.

And what lies ahead for me at AMC?

More foreign films, as well as more films new to me!

Good!!!

laundry day chat with stepmom!

me: 

me: Warm enough for capri pants, too!

Bonnie: "?"

me: Washing clothes! All my long pants are in the machine.

Bonnie: "We have 74 degrees. Scary when it gets warm fast... tornado weather. How are you feeling now?"

me: Good! I do so much better when the weather is warm!

Bonnie: "Me, too."

me: Next Tuesday, Christina is having surgery on her right knee. I will be with her for a few days to help with the girls and 2 dogs.

me: Trying to get things done before that.

me: I wash clothes about once a month. It helps to have a drawer full of panties and another full of socks!

me: Plus, i am usually pretty clean, so i can wear tops more than once. :-)

Bonnie: "Will pray for successful surgery. Have fun with the girls."

me: I sure hope so. The mornings are my biggest concern, getting them off to school.

me: You know me! I sleep until about 9:30. That will not work next week.

Bonnie: "I wear my outfit two or three days."

me: Right? We don't get dirty or sweaty like guys.

------------------

I really want to go see her this year. I miss our talks and our hugs.

improv and mixtapes

"What an odd combination for Tina Tuesday! What, no movie?"

Funny you should say that! 

There was a film, "Cassette: A Documentary Mixtape", on Peacock, and that's what we watched during our Holy Pie pizza party. 

Very good movie, too, set up like a true mixtape is, with riffs from different 'artists'. 

Lou Ottens, the inventor of the cassette tape in 1963, kept popping up, sometimes solo, sometimes with the other members of the team at Philips that had engineered the cassette. 

We both found it interesting that no subtitles were used when the men spoke German!

"You said "we". You got a mouse in your pocket?"

Nope, but I did have a physicist in my house!

"Wait, I thought the pizza party was to be at his place this time. Right?"

Well, there was a snafu on my part. I was to have picked up the pizza, but he never texted me about that. So I showed up at his place and he's like, "Where's the pizza?", but all cool and laid back about it, like he always is. So, back toward my side of town, him for the pie, me to shape up the house a little. 

"Damn, girl. Those blonde roots..."

Right? So I let him pick out the documentary to watch and he chose that one. Excellent choice!

"And you broke out your 'Hate tape' afterward?"

I did! I wanted to share something personal with him and that mixtape from 1981 is as "me" as it gets. I think he was surprised by most of the song choices. But, as I told him, it was music therapy to get me from 'crazy mad at the world' to 'totally chill self'.

"So y'all discussed all that?"

Nope, he needed to get home. Tuesday is one of his travel days to Statesboro to teach, so he was pretty tired by 9 PM. Plus, he had Emily the Cat to take care of with petting and treats before he could sleep.

"I'm sure he did. So, where does the improv part of the day fit in?"

I had another improv class with Rabbi Haas this afternoon! Only four us were at Asbury Memorial this time: Audrey the standup comic; Peg; a newcomer, Sandy; and me. The size of the class didn't matter, though. We all did three extended bits, showing that we could take a thread and weave an entire sweater with it!

"Hahahaha! Is that what Haas said?"

Nope, but he did encourage us to go to some improv shows and volunteer from the audience. He's quite pleased with how fearless we were today! For the first skit, each of us had to sell something in Holliday Hall to the others. I chose my red-armed sunglasses! That was fun!

"Sounds like it was! What else did y'all do?"

He had us do "Fortunately... Unfortunately", with each of us alternating turns with the tale. I had started it off with "Fortunately, I was able to see the new work done on Waters Avenue because a Mack truck was jack-knifed and blocking Truman Parkway." Then Sandy turned that into an accident scene, with Audrey talking up her financially-rewarding work as the lawyer and Peg was the 'winner' of what little money the lawyer didn't take. Then we went around a couple more times. Definitely fun, but I liked the "Lounge Singer crooning about their favorite movie" best.

"That sounds quite interesting!"

Oh, it was! Rabbi Haas gave us each a genre of movie, then we were to make up the song and perform it. I had 'romantic', so I sang about Jack and Jill. And, no, it was not the song that John Mellencamp sang! I don't recall just I sang, except I gave Jack a head full of long, lovely hair. Since I went first, it inspired the others to throw caution to the wind and let their freak flags fly freely, too!

"Very nice!"

Oh, and guess what? They're interested in the Last Laugh Improv Show at Jenkins Hall! That's coming up in March, after our next class. Sounds like a field trip to me!!!

"Most excellent! I'm glad you have some new folks in your life, g'friend."

Me, too. Most definitely.

good day to get lost, i guess

The moral of the story: be sure to have Nuvi with me when I go somewhere new.

Honestly, I'd written out the directions to Miller's Coins in Pooler, I did.

It seemed to be pretty straightforward, too.

I was to take 516/21 into Garden City, turning off onto Highway 80 West, then take that right into Pooler and keep an eye out for the store on my left.

That all sounded simple enough.

But here's the thing: Hwy 80 split into a wild thing, with signs that pointed to West for a road that became a one-way coming toward me!

Okay, no worries, I'd just back up and try again.

Then I saw another sign that indicated Hwy 80 West branched off to the right, but that turned into the decidedly non-scenic tour of the industrial area in Garden City.

Nope, that was definitely not right.

After an hour of rambling around, backtracking, and wrong turns, I'd had enough.

I would cut my losses and return home.

That's when the train appeared, with me on the wrong side of the tracks.

I can't remember the last time I got stopped by a train.

Seriously, it's been years ago.

After about 7 or 8 minutes, I turned off the engine and settled in to watch.

It was a beautiful, warm, blue-sky day, so why not enjoy it?

There were lots of cargo containers aboard, some with names I knew, some unknown.

Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, and quite a few others.

About ten minutes later, all the laden rail cars were past, but there was a long tail on that kite, with a couple dozen of empty rail cars... and, surprisingly, no caboose.

The last rail car passed with no fanfare at all.

Then the track gate rose and we all headed on down the road toward our destinations.

Mine was home, with my Japanese magnolia hoisting pink buds to the sky, as if cheering on the new year.

What a joyful sight!

Tomorrow, I may try again to offload my foreign currency, maybe.

It will be another beautiful day, like today was, for another long drive.

In fact, it'll be even warmer, giving us upper 70's to drive away any lingering chill.

Yes, that will be good for opening up every window of the house!!!

Hallelujah for this breath of hope!

J.U.S.T. isn't my cup of tea

Well, as I said earlier, I hung out at Asbury Memorial Church for the J.U.S.T. meeting, as that's an organization I'd heard about for several years since the pandemic.

The purpose of the meeting was to drum up interest in the group, as well as teach participants about advocacy for a cause.

So, what does that acronym stand for?

Justice Unites Savannah Together.

According to their website, J.U.S.T. is an interfaith group which actively works with local government to improve situations for Savannah's citizens.

It began in 2019, and has taken on four projects since then.

As explained in the primer today, there are several steps that a group needs to take when advocating for change. 

First, determine which problem needs to be resolved.

For that step, specificity is key.

Next, determine which department of the government can resolve the issue.

Then, organize a campaign to inform that department of the problem, to postulate a possible solution, and carry through with contact.

Last, be sure to have a timeline for resolution of the problem.

For example, don't say that veterans need more housing.

Specify which veterans, specify how many veterans, specify where such housing would best be located... and so on.

I was actually surprised at how many novices there were at this informational meeting.

I was even more surprised that so many of them were within ten years of my age.

This was their first time being an advocate?

Really?

I've advocated for research funding for the American Chemical Society as well as for the Alpha Chi Sigma professional chemistry fraternity. 

I've advocated for new national marine sanctuaries as well as support for those already established by the National Marine Sanctuaries Foundation.

I've advocated for One Hundred Miles and for Georgia Conservancy, two organizations that protect Georgia's coast and all life within it.

I've advocated for removal of dyes in children's food, removal of heavy metals in chocolate, and other food issues for Consumer Reports.

I've advocated for better services for senior citizens, including better staffing for government offices that service Social Security and Medicare, via the AARP Advocacy group.

For most of those nonprofit organizations, I have been actively letter-writing and calling elected politicians for better than twenty years.

In addition, I'm Fliss of the Nerdfighters at Kiva, helping to lend financial support, via microloans, to people in other countries trying to better the lives of their families and their commuities.

To date, I've helped fifty-three people enrich their homelands in fifty countries, including the United States of America.

I think I just may have this advocacy thing down pat.