smf36: pop-up dance, part 1

"Does that mean that you began dancing apropos of nothing, as you are wont to do?"

Hahahaha! Nope, not yet! I speak of my first volunteer shift at SMF36, plus my unexpected dinner entertainment. You know how I like to take at least one gig that doesn't directly gift me with a concert? Well, I signed up for the 3-6 PM shift at the Savannah Music Festival Pop-Up Shop. That's located on Broughton Street, where I watched "Empanada Loca" one dark and stormy night. Remember that crazy show?

"Lol! I see what you did there, snuck in that pun! Yeah, the previous home of SavRepTh."

Well, the building has been sold and is slated to be torn down. However, the new owner agreed to let SMF use it for these three weeks. It's the place for folks to buy posters, t-shirts, and other festival souvenirs.

"And you signed up for that on purpose?"

Well, you got me. I did have an ulterior motive. I have a second shift this evening at the Lucas Theatre, one that I had really wanted. Knowing how parking gets, I thought this was a way to make sure my car could be at Columbia Square. And it is!

"Good for you! That'll make it easier for your blonde roots to find it."

Hahahaha! Blonde roots! I was talking about that with Noelle (the young woman who runs the shop) and Carolyn (a volunteer like me, who will also be at the Lucas with me). I was trying to determine which year of the festival this was. When I saw this poster for the "25th Anniversary" in 2014, my totally blonde self thought, "Oh, that must have been SMF39 in 2014." 

"You're kidding, right?"

Sadly not. It wasn't until Noelle was telling us that the music festival actually began in 1990, but was called Savannah OnStage that year. The very next year, the event became the Savannah Music Festival. I had just said to them that this must be SMF49 since 2014 had been the 39th year, so this should have been the 50th anniversary, except the pandemic had lost them a year.

"Hahahaha!! G'friend, you are a hoot and a half!"

Yeah, it was a very funny moment!

"And what do we have here?"

Garrison Arts Academy was performing in front of the Lucas! Carolyn and I had walked over to there, in preparation for our next shift, and been sweetly surprised by the concert! She went in search of food and I bounced over to the park. I'd brought half a buffalo chicken calzone and an Ensure as dinner. My plan all along had been to sit in the park and chill out with nature, but I loved the children's band!

"Oh, my! Is that a dancer in a blue tutu??"

It is!!! And you'll never guess what she was dancing to!!!

"Was it "The Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy," perchance?"

She was!!! I sat and watched every movement, too! What a gift that was! Then, as I finished my meal, I spotted the little brown birds all over the ground in front of me! Those are Savannah sparrows, officially, but all I could think of was the quote from the physicist. Of course, that meant the bfe got sent this photo! I wonder if he saw the birds?

"What quote are you talking about? Something he referenced or something he said?"

Oh, it was something he said. I was talking about the shore birds lecture, then drifted over to our local birds. That's when he said: "Little brown birds permeate all of space and time! They are like the Higgs field." Isn't that a cool line that should have been used on "The Big Bang Theory"?

"Agreed! I can just picture Sheldon uttering that as a delightful piece of lunch trivia at the university cafeteria.  Now, you need to get going for your shift!"

blonde roots + anesthesia = inside joke

"What's that dear? I'm guessing it must be tied in with your colonoscopy earlier today. Am I close?"

Oh, you're almost spot on! See, Dr. Craig's office recommended that I wear something that would be easy to put on after the procedure. Knowing that my first niece would be in charge of me, I decided to put her in charge of my ID, too. That's because I wanted to wear my flowing green dress, which has zero pockets.

"You mean she lost your stuff??"

Oh, no, Christina Ann is actually responsible for me finally finding it! We were sitting in the parking lot at the Carey Hilliard's on Skidaway, in her van, during a rainstorm. That was after spending at least 30 minutes in my driveway, pulling everything out from under her front seats, pulling every little thing out of the center console, even searching the back seat. The little 'wallet' in which I keep my ID and such was nowhere to be found. That's why we had returned to the restaurant, to check the ground, to check inside to see if it had been turned in. After we had exhausted every possibility, she looked under the passenger visor - nope, not there. In the glovebox? Nope. What the fresh hell??? Then she asked, "Do you think it might be in your bra?" So I stuck my hand in there... and there it was.

"Seriously? You didn't remember putting it there? Girl, that's hilarious!"

(Sigh) All my anesthesia brain remembered was that my left thumb had held the 'wallet' on top of my to-go box. I'd placed it all - or so I thought - in that center console while I got settled in the passenger seat. The next thing I knew, I looked on top of the to-go box and my 'wallet' was gone. I was sure it would turn up inside the console!

"Wow."

It wasn't until my hand touched it in my bra that I remembered, oh so dimly, placing it there so it wouldn't get knocked off the box. Why I hadn't put it with my keys in the side door pocket I have no idea. I felt like such a blonde, even though those blonde roots have been invisible for decades.

"And how did she react?"

She didn't laugh at me, so that was good. She did give me some grief about it, though, once we got back to my house. It's our inside joke now. "Is your wallet in your bra?" "Did you check your bra?"

"She's such good people."

Yes, she is. She's only just now left. I ate some blueberry yogurt, with some of those wild blueberries from Georgetown, to help get my gastrointestinal tract back into working order. That SuPrep has had murky yellow liquid making its way out of me at odd times. I think some fiber is in order for dinner. Let me see if I can find something along those lines. Then it'll be an early bedtime this evening.

"That sounds like a winner. Sweet dreams, dear." 

totally blonde roots

So, yesterday, I picked up my bfe and off we set for Jacksonville. This is his birth month, so I've been trying to find some extra-special events for this fall month.
One such event concerned girls on skates. He had not been to the local rollergirl games, ever, and, somehow, we had missed all the home games this fall. But all was not lost! The girls would be winging their way down to Florida for a double-header! And, it was in November! And, it was on a Saturday that was open for both of us! Yes, folks, we had ourselves a winner!!
So, off we set, even getting a morning start for a change. The weather was good, the traffic was light on this non-holiday weekend, and we should arrive in time for a late lunch, then some walking on the waterfront before the games. Nice!
Well, that was the plan. And the plan was nice. And it was a pretty loose plan, built to allow quite a bit of flexibility. You know, in case we found an interesting museum or toy shop or an open bench to watch boats and folks.
So, there we are, traveling along, making good time. Not paying any attention to the view outside the car windows. Well, no, that's not quite true. We were both admiring the fall colors of the kudzu and the trees, the golds and oranges and reds, set against the ever-green of the pines and the blue, blue sky. All so very nice! Enjoying each other's company, catching up on chatting.
You see where this is leading, right?
We were talking, admiring the view, not paying any attention at all to road signs...
And all of a sudden, SMACK!!! We were on the outskirts of MACON!!!
Say what?!?
Exactly.
In my soon-to-be-patented, trademark style, I had become lost.
No. That's NOT it. I was not lost. I knew EXACTLY where I was, once I saw the exits and road work surrounding Macon. Oh, yes.
The problem was, we had driven better than two hours IN THE WRONG DIRECTION, neither of us noticing the signs for Statesboro or Dublin or any of the other towns along the way. Neither of us having noticed that we had not seen signs for Midway or Darien or Brunswick.
Amazing.
So, now the trick would be to make it to Jacksonville in time for the games. Because, now, we weren't just two and a half hours away. Oh, no. We were about five hours away.
Good thing our plan was so loose!
And we DID manage to make it there in time for the games. We even had about twenty minutes of free time. Woohoo!
And, amazingly, he was fine with that. Absolutely fine. No temper tantrum, no guilt trip laid on me, no animosity of any type.
Amazing, right?
And I was treated to a day in his company and he to a day in mine, even though much of the time was sitting in a car, rolling along highways.
And THAT was the whole point of the trip, right? To spend the day together and see some girls on skates?
So the trip was a rousing success, after all.
Amazing!

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.

wise guy, eh?

This joke was sent by one of my old chemistry professors. It isn't a new joke, but it is a favorite and I want to be able to see it whenever I want!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
You are on a horse galloping at a constant speed.
On your right side is a sharp drop off.
On your left side is an elephant traveling at the same speed as you.
Directly in front of you is another galloping horse but your horse is unable to overtake it.
Behind you is a lion running at the same speed as you and the horse in front of you.
What must you do to safely get out of this highly dangerous situation?

[SCROLL DOWN for the ANSWER]













Answer:
Get your butt off the merry-go-round!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Today marks the anniversary of my visit to The Merry-Go-Round Museum in Sandusky. How did I end up there? Wandering around in O-hi-O and surroundings last summer on my Midwest-Canada Adventure, as the bfe titled it.
I had started the trip with my focus on The Field of Dreams, as you may recall. Well, that's what I told folks was my primary rationale, but I also wanted to spend more time with the bfe, back when I was crazy delirious and had fingernails. Twelve hours in the car together up to Cincinnati and environs, then another twelve hours on the way back should do quite nicely in the "getting to know each other" realm.
But that's not my focus here.
How did I end up in Sandusky, admiring painted ponies?
Well, you know how one thing leads to another? The Fixx certainly nailed that one!
Ahem! Back on topic? Right?
Right. So, my original travel plans were to drop off the bfe at his folks' house in the sticks of O-hi-O, then get up the next day and bop up to Ontario to visit one of my Sues and her daughter, cross back over to Detroit and see the ex and the Adams, travel to Iowa for some corn-gazing, then, if time permitted, shoot down to northern Tennessee to visit some family and friends before returning to pick up the bfe for our return southward.
Yeah. Well. That is most assuredly not how it all worked out. You know why, right? You betcha: my blonde roots necessitated an immense change of plans.
You see, one needs a passport to travel to Canada. A passport. Mine had remained in Georgia, sadly. At one point before the trip, I had gone to the safe deposit box and retrieved it, placing it into my travel bag to be sure I would not forget it. Then, as I was packing, I had emptied the travel bag of all the packets of coffee and plastic ziploc bags and empty vitamin containers...and my passport. And somehow, somehow, I had managed to convince myself that I had placed the passport back into the bag.
Alas, no. After my late arrival at the hotel, I had crashed out, only to be awakened at 5 AM by a thought: I didn't see the passport when I was unpacking here. No, that can't be right. I remembered putting it into my bag. Well, I didn't see it when we got here. Really, I have to get out of bed to reassure myself that it's here? Fine.
But the passport was not in my bag. It was not in my purse. It was not in the car.
It was not in the bag. I took everything out and put everything back in three times.
Nope, no passport.
I did the same with my purse. Then, I rummaged through the car.
Nope, no passport.
A frantic series of phone calls to my first niece, telling her where the passport was (or so I thought, but I was wrong in my memory. Fortunately, she did find it.), having to wait for her to get home from work to go look for it, to send it by overnight post to Michigan. Phone calls to the Adams, rearranging the visit day, asking for her to watch for my passport and let me know when it arrived. Phone calls to the ex, letting him know of the change in plans, hoping he could still work it into his schedule. Emails to the Windsor Sue, letting her know of the change in schedule and hopes to still visit.
Sheesh.
Then, what to do?
Well, I still wanted to go to the Field of Dreams. I had a day wide open before me, with its schedule all askew. Why not head in that direction and see if I could make it there in time? That would certainly distract me from this tangled mess, especially with Dire Straits (Communique) and Def Leppard (High 'n' Dry), on repeat, to keep me company.
So, off I went, making it to that baseball diamond in the cornfields in plenty of time to do what I went there to do. I'm so glad I had the Nuvi to guide me, because the corn was taller than my car and there were NO signs to point the way to that special field.
But it was DONE! I could cross that destination off my list and head elsewhere.
I made it to Rockville, Illinois, just before nightfall. As luck would have it, I had reserved a room there - for Wednesday. That was still two days away. Would they switch it for me?
Yes, yes, they would! Wow!
Then I talked with my first niece. She had found the passport, on my bed, not on the couch. She had successfully mailed it to the Adams' correct address (I'd had the street name slightly wrong, but the post office straightened it out). The passport would be arriving in Troy, Michigan, on Tuesday in the early afternoon.
I talked with the Adams. As good fortune would have it, she would be home all day on Tuesday, so she would be sure to stay until it arrived. Also, did I have a place to stay yet? No? Good, she said, you can stay with me.
Very nice! Wow!
The ex and the Sue both reassured me that the change in my plans was still going to work for them.
Yea!!! Incredible!

The next day, I headed toward Detroit, passing by Wrigley Field, traveling the toll road through Illinois and Indiana. (Not especially by choice, but because Nuvi doesn't differentiate between toll roads and free roads. Sigh.) I lunched at Theo and Stacy's on fabulous Greek salad and a piled-too-high-to-pick-it-up gyro.

I arrived in Troy before rush hour, preceded by my passport. Yea! Then the Adams and I waited for the ex to get off work and sashay on down from Saginaw. Then off we went their old stomping grounds in Warren for some Buddy's Pizza and Erma's Forzen Custard. Those are must-haves for Michiganders .. and those who love them!

Finally, on Wednesday, August 1, 2012, I was on my way to the Great White North! Woohoo! After a trip to London to visit the younger daughter and to dine on Chinese, Sue and I stopped off to get coffee. Where? Need you ask? "Fresh, friendly, familiar" - it may be the mantra of Tim Hortons, but it also describes my Canadian contingent!
The next morning, we said our goodbyes and the border guards allowed me re-entry to the 'States. Where to go? I didn't have to meet up with the bfe for two days. So, that meant this was "free time"! I could have gone to Tennessee, but then I would have been rushed to get there and rushed to get back to the 'Nati. No, no more rushing!
In went the Tom Jones (the lead and how to swing it), bringing to mind Mother Pat and that concert in Las Vegas for her birthday. Well, I had never seen her headstone... off to the cemetery, then. With a little help, I located her plot, as well as those for her parents and younger sister. The rose-hued stone really would have pleased her, I think.

Then off to points south, just barely ahead of the early lunch crush. I drove until a sign caught my eye: Luna Pier. "Luna", you say? That sounds like me! Oh, wait, that should be "looney", maybe. I dined on Lake Erie yellow perch, wandered around on the beach and in the tiny town, then hit the road again, refreshed.

Where to next? Well, the visitor center pointed toward the museum in Wapakoneta, only an hour down the road. Sah-weet! Space travel and Neil Armstrong! I would even have a couple of hours to spend there before closing. Very good! And, when I joined that museum, as I do when traveling, they told me my card would also give me discounted admission to other museums in the USA. Like which ones? Well, the Merry-Go-Round Museum in Sandusky, for one.
No kidding? A museum dedicated to carousels and painted ponies?
And THAT, my dear, is how I ended up in Sandusky.

No, it's Iowa.

As you may recall, I wrote earlier this month about wanting - no, NEEDING - to go to The Field of Dreams. I had hoped for a thin space there where the present and past might intersect. And so they did, but not as I had expected.
Then again, this trip has been all about plans not going as expected. I think my blonde roots still exist deep in my scalp, even though I appear to be a brunette. But that's not for here and now.
No. This is all about The Field of Dreams and what I found there and did there and saw there.
So, let's make the last first, shall we? I saw corn, walls of corn, acres and acres of corn, standing taller than me, in the morning sun and the high noon sun and the sun setting toward the Pacific. I saw freshly mowed green, green, grass, lush beneath my feet, checkerboarding the outfield. I saw a baseball diamond shimmering in the afternoon sun, under a blue, blue sky and angelic puffs of clouds.
I smelled ripe corn and aging silk melding together with the warmed grass and the tang of red clay.
What did I do?
I walked out to centerfield, the heart of the outfield, and kept walking straight up to that surrounding wall of corn. And I stood in the arms of the cornstalks, breathing in their aroma, basking with them in the warmth of the afternoon sun. After driving for hours through the lifeblood of the midwest, it was good to finally be this close to the real thing.
I listened to the rustling of the corn in the light breeze, listening for something else, a sign of other life stirring. Just me and the breeze and the golden ears.
I came back infield, cutting over the first base line toward the bleachers. One of my goals had been to sit in those bleachers, drinking in the sight of the diamond and the afternoon sky and the closeness of space and time.

And so I did sit in the bleachers, two rows from the top, with the house behind me. And I relished the contrast between the red clay of the infield and the lush green of the outfield, with the blue sky beaming above all. And I did see an angel, out in left field, dancing across the sky, trailed by a flock of fluff. Very nice!
Then I climbed down from my perch, heading toward home plate. A quick - no, make that leisurely, please! - stroll around the bases, making sure to JUMP onto each bag as I neared it. First! Second! Third! And safely back to home!
Sweet. And quite satisfying.
I signed the vistor's log, made a donation, and decided to head for the Windy City, to ease my travel time to the Motor City.
But I must have turned in the opposite direction and ended up not quite where I had intended, but where I needed to be.

The tiny town before me was bedecked with the Stars and Stripes. In front of every business and house on the main street. In front of every establishment and residence on the side streets. American flags fluttering before and behind, to the right and to the left. What a grand sight!
And I realized that THIS was where I was meant to be, what I was meant to see here in Iowa. I know my stepdad was thrilled.
Miss you, Frank.

SCT at GOB and JEA

As I told both Sherry G and Sherry M, I have been out this week almost as much as I normally am, but with one difference: I have been with friends and family on many more occasions than usual.

That's been quite the blessing!

Imagine that: blessings from a broken shifter cable.

(smile!)

Sherry Giddens was at my house to take me to church, literally!

(I just love that song and had to sneak it in here!) 

Today, I found out she's been showing up a little earlier than when she generally arrives, thinking that I wanted to be there by 11 AM.

What a nice laugh we had when we realized we both customarily miss the opening chimes!

(smile!)

Today was the second God On Broadway sermon, this one using the musical, "The Civil War", last appearing on GOB in 2012.

I noticed the choir here at Asbury Memorial was lacking its tenors and basses.

Just skirts and bonnets over there!

That echoed the lack of men around during warfare, setting the tone.

 

Here's another sight that ran home the theme of death and loss: a young soldier asking his mates to "Tell My Father" one last message.

Wait a minute... I know that young man singing so passionately!

That's Trey Wilner of the Savannah Children's Theatre!!!

I last had the pleasure of his presence at the "Zombie Prom" this summer.

After the show, I tried to find him so I could congratulate him on being so perfect in that role, but he left without me seeing him.

I do hope this means he has not yet graduated and will be in more local shows.

(smile!)

After hanging out in Holliday Hall a bit, dropping off my canned goods for the food drive, Sherry took me home and headed off.

Oops, I was to have asked for a ride to the Savannah JEA!

The SavChTh was having their final performance of "The Miraculous Journey Of Edward Tulane" at 2 PM and I was to meet Sherry Moore there.

My blonde roots struck again!

I called her in a panic, then texted, with regrets that I would miss the play.

Fortunately, I made it!

She explained the situation to the folks there...

and they held the start for 5 minutes until she returned with me in tow.

I am so blessed!

And I loved the tale of the china rabbit that had its name changed, and even its gender, as it passed from one hand to another.

Starting off in a girl's embrace, 'Edward Tulane' was lost overboard on a cruise and not found until a fisherman dragged him up with his net.

The rabbit then became 'Susanna' and stayed with the empty-nester mom until a jealous person tosses the rabbit into the dump.

That's where a hobo and his dog find 'Malone', as they call him, taking him along on their travels until a meanie tosses him off the train.

A boy then takes 'Clyde' up and gives him to his ill sister, but when she dies, another steals the rabbit and 'Jangles' becomes the dancer for the busker.

Years have passed at this point.

The 10-year-old girl who originally named him has grown up and become a mother, looking for a toy in a curio shop for her daughter... and finds him.

(smile!)

Such a delightful, heartwarming play, made even more so because this wandering troupe - and all there to see the play - had waited for me!

What a true enthusiasm of the woman as she embraced her long-lost companion!

And how wonderful that 'Edward Tulane' wound up in my arms for a hug! 

So blessed I am to have two friends named Sherry...

i thank You, God. 

(smile!)

happy Diwali! appetizers for all!

That had been my intention with my winnings from last week's Music Bingo.

I especially wanted to share with Marcia, as it was her 65th birthday!

However, sharing with her middle daughter, Amanda, was perfect.

Sandy even took one of the Southwest Egg Rolls!

The sriracha sauce was so good that Amanda even ordered some for her burger!

Winner!

That was as close as any of us got to winning, that's for sure.

Not even Elissa pulled a win at Bingo.

But Marcia sure did, as George made sure to treat her to three veggie appetizers for her bday65 - what a great guy!

My win came when I got home.

Comcast rewarded me with a $1 Movie Night, so, in honor of the Festival of Lights, I selected "The Grand Budapest Hotel".

Why that one?

Because my blonde roots confused it with "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel", that's why.

Hahahaha!!! Hahaha!!!

Still, I very much enjoyed this 2014 piece from Wes Anderson.

I even managed to catch this brilliant photo of the three principals of the film: 'Monsieur Gustave' (Ralph Fiennes), Concierge of the hotel, speaking of the painting ("Boy With Apple") to the hotel's Lobby Boy, 'Zero' (Tony Revolori), who has leaned down from the upper bunk and is visible in the make-up mirror...

wow.

Right place, right time.

(smile!)