See See How They Run!

Yep, not a typo - I want to be sure that you go see See How They Run at the Renaissance Theatre in Lynchburg! I saw it on Saturday evening and had a rollicking good time!

You know how you go see some shows or movies and they are "chuckling" funny. You see the jokes coming from miles away and although you chuckle and smile...you don't get those crazy uncontrolled outbursts of laughter. I was hoping for laughter like when my Dad watches the boat scene from Weekend at Bernie's. You know, when Bernie falls out of the boat and keeps hitting the buoys? And although the guys hear the bells ring when he hits one - he must hit a half dozen or more before they haul his dead body back onto the boat. When Dad watches that scene he laughs until he cries. The first time we saw it I think he laughed until he couldn't breathe properly.

THAT is the kind of laughter that I was craving. Recently I have seen amusing movies (like Identity Thief) and cute shows (like Suessical the Musical) but nothing like the entertaining farce See How They Run.

Not the Renaissance production,
but you get the idea!!

I don't want to give too much of the plot away...the play is set in an English vicarage (that's the place where a vicar lives) and the key players are the vicar, his flamboyant wife, their cockney maid and a very stuffy old biddy from the parish. To tell you much more about the cast, I might give away the plot points that lead to a parade of vicars running through the vicarage (one of them in his underclothes!).

I was not familiar with most of the cast - but I was so excited to see my good friend Shelbie Filson playing the role of "old biddy" Miss Skillon. Shelbie is always talented, but this was a riot. Her facial expressions from the beginning of the show when she is sternly disapproving of "that woman" decorating the pulpit (which she has ALWAYS done!) until the very end of the show when ... oh, that's right. No spoilers. But watch that woman...she cracks me up.

The great thing about seeing a show at the Renaissance is that the setting is very intimate. The theatre seats about 100 people and I enjoyed a front row seat. At times I could have reached out and touched one of the performers. I understand they frown on that...so I didn't. But I could hear every word of dialogue perfectly and felt like the show was unfolding just for me. It is a great experience.

I think I'm going to one more show this week (trying to, anyway) - E.C. Glass is staging Picasso at the Lapin Agile in the Alumni Theatre. Small theatre, so tickets will go quickly. It's a cool show where Einstein meets Picasso in a bar and they drink absinthe. If memory serves, Elvis shows up too. Or that could be the absinthe talking.



Get out and see live theatre - with three colleges, two high schools and a couple regional theatres - opportunities abound!

Background became Foreground

I realized something tonight...and understood why my brother-in-law painted our living room alone instead of having us help him. It is physically painful to watch people do something you do well...when they do it so badly.

I worked as a professional theatre technician for 3 years. As a highly respected volunteer in the field for about 20 years. As a sound tech and sound consultant for about 15 years. When theatre tech is done right, the audience doesn't even know you exist. It is an exquisite dance between the performers and the support team but only one half is visible.

Techs are an interesting breed. We wear black. We arrive early and leave late. We drink our coffee black because we don't have time to chase down cream and sugar. We get the thrill from the applause and stand in the shadows knowing that part of that is ours. Acknowledgment is appreciated but we get our satisfaction from a different place. It is the smooth execution of the invisible plan that draws us back to the next performance and the next production.

When Patrick sees the poorly executed paint job...it pains him. When I see a production where the performers pour their heart into their roles and it is overwhelmed by technical errors - I feel physically ill. 

To the performers I saw tonight - you did a good job. Some of you were incredible and some were adequate. Some I can't tell because I couldn't hear you, see you, or was distracted by weird backstage flaws. To my brother-in-law...I understand a bit better.

Hamster beaten...but not flown.

Question #1

Yep...my usual crutch of Random Questions to spark creative thoughts. I hope you'll excuse me, was really sick last week and the incoming weather is giving me a headache. 1st question!

Would you rather go without junk food for a year or TV for year? Oh man...could that have been a week? I think I could go without either for a week (but not both, let's not get crazy) but a year is taking an enormous amount of consideration. I think that if I had to choose - I would have to give up the junk food. No! TV. NO! Junk food....wait, can we define junk food? Okay...I'd give up the TV. And watch shows on my computer. No? Is that cheating? I know this shouldn't be that hard. Maybe I've discovered what I need to consider for Lent next year! If I define junk food as candy bars and chips, I'd give those up. But if it includes all desserts and stuff like popcorn at the movies...got to give up the TV. So, I'll go with giving up TV. And that's my final answer. (of what I would rather give up...but I'm not doing either one).

Here's hoping for an easier question #2 (fingers crossed)

What is your favorite holiday? wait...haven't I answered that one before? (hang on, going to look) Apparently I have not...Well, I wandered back through posts till I got to sometime late last summer, and didn't find it. The question on the table, therefore, is: what is your favorite holiday? I'd like to come up with some smart ass answer like "Arbor Day" or "National Pickle Day" - and I'd like to avoid the really obvious ones like Christmas and Easter. Favorite...does my birthday count? Assuming that my birthday does NOT count as a favorite holiday then I will have to go with Memorial Day because it marks the beginning of summer. I love spending time at the Riva Howse and especially spending time IN the river - so Memorial Day is the beginning of that season. During Memorial Day weekend the family gets together and has classic picnic-type gatherings, although the food is often non-traditional. Last year we had Cuban sandwiches. I'm hoping for a repeat this year!

Last question for the night (you can follow all those little blue links and read old stuff...)

What is your morning routine? I wake up roughly 30 minutes before I have to leave the house. I put in my contacts and stare at an old episode of Charmed, Boy Meets World, Friends, and Fresh Prince (yes, all of the above...I get bored easily). I put on clothes in exactly the same order every morning. I go upstairs, put on shoes and go to work. It is not so much a routine as a habit. I guess if I gave up TV... the routine would change. Stupid question.

That deserves one more question, but I won't promise to answer it....

What was the last movie you saw? hmmm...oh right...Admission with Tina Fey and Paul Rudd. Eh...it was alright. Lily Tomlin was good. Before that we saw Oz the Great and Powerful - which I thought was great! Saw it in 3D and for the first time in a long time there were effects that I thought were worth wearing the stupid glasses (meaning stuff flew at me). I understand the whole concept of depth of field and crisper visuals - but the glasses usually give me a headache and I think that if I have to get the headache I should at least have stuff flying at me. The snowy poppy field scene rocked.

Hamster not totally beaten, but gently pummeled.

Post #246

Pleasant Cat

Doesn't someone need a nice little cat? I thought we had a home for Avocado...but that fell through. And my "kids" are just not going to get along. I guess I had this vision of the two of them holding paws and singing KumBaYah after a getting to know each other. Just ain't gonna happen. My forever cat - Rude Cat/Toey/Chloe just loves me so much that she wants me all to herself. Completely understandable - I am pretty wonderful. But all this adoration (in the form of hissing, growling and stalking) is getting old. So I continue to seek a forever home for 'Cado. She is a nice little cat - loving, energetic, curious, and very patient. She continues to ignore the inhospitable conditions of her foster home - but I think she'd like a family to call her very own. If you're interested just go to the Angels of Assisi website for the cat adoption application. I'll even split the adoption fee with you!

Rude Cat

Enough of cats... In fact, here is a list of things I don't want to discuss today: sequestration, limbs falling on neighbor's carports, taxes, software installation, meat (gave it up for Lent....), weather, regulations or project development. Soooooooooo......something positive......or interesting......or random.......


Ah! Random!! To the Random Questionizer!!

Forsythia - please don't shape into balls...that makes me sad

What is your favorite season? Oh, what a good question RQ! Usually it is the season that I'm anticipating. Right now my favorite season is Spring (the groundhog got it all messed up this year) because it is just around the corner. I love the fact that we've had jonquils (daffodils) blooming - even though they spent some time covered with snow. I look forward to the forsythia and the dogwood and the redbud bursting into bloom. Virginia has some of the best flowering trees. But in a few weeks I will probably hate Spring because my sinuses will be all irritated from the dang flowering trees. Then I will be looking forward to my favorite season, Summer! Getting to go swimming in the river with my family, eating picnics at the Riva Howse, the feeling of grass between my toes. But after a few weeks I will hate Summer...too hot, too many kids, too many bugs and too much grass to cut. Then I will be looking forward to my favorite season, Fall! Cool crisp days, evenings by the river curled up by a fire.... Well, you get the idea. My favorite season is the next one!

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? I'm not grown up now!! As a child I can remember wanting to be a teacher, botanist, mechanic, gymnast, baker...I even opened up my very own Flip Flop Repair Shop (to fix broken flip flops) but it failed for lack of customers. I was more successful running a backyard carnival to raise money for MDA. The carnival was about as well thought out as the FFRS - but I had a few more customers. My best friend Amber and I ran the whole thing - when she and I were counting the money her Dad kept putting in random bits of change that would make the total uneven. So her mother (who apparently liked even numbers) would add enough to round the total back up to an even dollar amount. Then her Dad would add in another little bit...I think we got an extra 15 or 20 bucks from their rivalry! Did I ever think that I would do the jobs that I have done so far? Nope.

Last question: Do you prefer to shop online or in a store? This one would make my sisters laugh! I prefer not to shop at all. In fact, I generally send one of them to buy clothes for me. I hate to shop. There are only two kinds of stores that I actually like to shop in: grocery stores (especially the specialty food areas) and hardware stores. I get practically giddy when I go into a hardware store. I love to look at all the different plumbing supplies and tools and stuff. I even love that smell - a combination of wood, paints, spirits, fertilizer and that something intangible that ties it all together. So - my favorite place within driving distance? Carson's Hardware in Concord, VA. It is a hardware store and a grocery store together! With a deli that has Boar's Head meats.

Wait...I said I wasn't talking about meat! Dang...now I want a sandwich...Easter can't get here soon enough!

Substance Optional

Sitting here wondering about what I should blog about...one suggestion was that I blog about not blogging. I really have been bad lately. I'm not sure why - the likely culprit is laziness. I just haven't felt passionate about anything in particular. Or had any really wacky dreams (actually, Friday night I dreamed that the grant Jeff was writing to VHDA needed to have an original recipe as a component...in the dream I couldn't convince him that they only wanted the recipe - we didn't have to include the actual food. He was using a food vacuum sealer to package up the pasta to include in the 3 ring binder. I guess that was a wacky dream.).

But it isn't a very good excuse - since my regular readers know that a lot of my posts are about nothing in particular. Sometimes they wind their way around to being about something. Sometimes not. It is very unpredictable. So here are a couple of random thoughts/observations/synaptic misfires...

- we continue to host a foster cat (Avocado). But our "permanent" (she hopes) cat continues to be inhospitable. Though our pleasant little guest cat ignores her, Rude Cat makes the most ungodly noises whenever 'cado comes around. I believe we have found a potential "forever home" for Avocado. As much as I have enjoyed the visiting cat - I think I will enjoy going back to being a single cat home. Two cats are twice as much work! Maybe a little more than twice as much.

- tax season is underway but most of my people have been slow pulling their information together. They should remember that "failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part."

- tonight we had shrimp roasted in their shells. It is funny, last fall when we were at the beach Mom and I scoured the internet (on our smart phones) looking for a recipe for shrimp that left the shells on (besides steaming and boiling...we are accomplished at both of those) and could find nothing. A couple weeks ago I opened an email from Cooks Illustrated and there was the recipe! Cooks Illustrated is far more than recipes - it is truly cooking for food nerds. Not only does it tell you the best way to make a dish, it tells you the whole trial and error that the test kitchen went through to make it the best way. I was incredibly fortunate that Mom did the hard work (de-veining without removing the shells) and was just starting to brine the shrimp when I got home. I got to take a relaxing shower and then have the fun of watching them broil in the oven! The only "downside" to the meal? Mom made the best cocktail sauce ever (read: enough horseradish to curl your nose hairs) but the shrimp were so fantastic without it - I was torn between eating the shrimp with and without it! Thankfully I struck a balance. (whew...I know you were worried!)

- I have three "time-waster" games on my phone. I should probably pare that down to just one - because that would give me more time to blog! I can't decide which one I would keep though. I have something called "Dragon Gem" which is a Bejeweled-type game. Get three like gems in a row and get points, clear the whole board and move on to the next level. Each level has a possible 3 stars - you have to be quick and clever to get all three stars. I force myself to earn all 3 before I let myself go on to the next level. It is a demented sort of masochism.

My newest time-waster is "What's the Word?" You get a screen with 4 pictures and a series of letters...you have to figure out what the word is that all four pictures relate to. Sometimes they are very easy...but if I hit a brick wall, I get so frustrated I consider uninstalling the darn thing. Or, like last night, I spend an enormous amount of time wandering through pages and pages of "cheats" to find the answer. Well, I guess "cheats" shouldn't be in quotations. Cheats. But once I find the missing answer, I no longer feel like jumping off the roof. The last time-waster (and probably the one I would keep) is Coin Dozer. Yep...just like the game at the fair/arcade! You know, the one that always looked like 100 quarters would fall if you could talk your Dad out of one more quarter! At least this isn't real money. I play it in elevators, checkout lines, or when I'm stopped on Rivermont Avenue (waiting for construction traffic...not with blue lights behind me. Unlike my Mom...).

- I feel sure that one of my blog followers is considering sending me a comment about the fact that I used the numeral "3" AND the word "three" in the random thought above. Yes, Ida, I can feel it! For the record I do know that numbers under ten (or is it twenty?) are supposed to be written out. Well, maybe I need to brush up on that rule. Thanks for being my favorite proofreader.

Well - there's a post. I'll try to be better about not creating beaten hamster deserts. I just have to remember that substance is optional.

Foster Cat - Week One

About a week ago I saw this little cat on Facebook. My good friend and animal lover Melissa shared it from her friends at the Roanoke Angels of Assisi. The post indicated that the cat had been left behind when her family moved and that in the shelter she was unresponsive. She wasn't eating or drinking and was generally so unhappy that she was making herself sick.

My friends and family know what happened next - I felt such tremendous empathy for the little cat that I said to Melissa and her compatriots at A of A "I will ask my housemates if we could take her in for a little while." My generally agreeable housemates said okay (well, Dad said okay...I believe Mom said "whatever") so little Avocado was headed to share a house with me, my wonderful housemates and the world's rudest cat, Toey.

The best side of Rude Cat

Since Toey pays neither mortgage or rent - I decided she had no say in the transaction. When will I ever learn? Regardless of her station in our house - Toey always has something to say. Generally her statements over the last have been "hsssssssssss" and "arorowah" (not sure how to spell the gutteral screeching).

For her part, Avocado has been perfectly lovely. As circumstances unfolded, instead of meeting in Bedford to transfer Avocado to my care - I ended up driving to Roanoke to pick her up. Her transport wasn't going to be able to arrive in Bedford till 8:30 or 9...so it looked like she would have to spend another miserable night at the shelter. My empathetic sensibilities just couldn't allow that...so ROAD TRIP! Off I went, stopping to pick up animal nut Melissa for company to Roanoke (she also needed to retrieve her car from the Star City...long story...I think it involved margaritas and first responders, but I can't be sure).

When we arrived at Angels of Assisi we met Avocado...who miraculously had changed from the miserable kitty who Facebook indicated was dying of a broken heart - into a purring and curious cat ready for a road trip. The shelter folk kept apologizing for "misleading" me - they insisted that she was making liars out of them, but that she had only started perking up about 6:30. That was exactly when I hit the road for Roanoke. Chaz and Chelsea just didn't know how powerful my aura is! As soon as Avocado heard from the universe that I was on the way - she knew all would be okay. Well...that is what I believe anyway. They packed her some food and litter and put her in a cardboard cat carrier and helped me get her in my car.

As soon as they were back inside the building I let her out of the box. I know it isn't exactly recommended...but I couldn't have her spend an hour in a box!! She headed to the back window of the Taurus and cried until Virginia Conversations (a political talk show on public radio) went off and Smooth Jazz came on. Then she relaxed, watched traffic and dozed off. When I arrived home I just opened the back door, picked her up and carried her in the house. She didn't try to bolt or scratch or anything.

'Cado (sorry, I can't call her Avocado...it's either Avo or Cado, sometimes Little Cat. Carl said that Avocado is a dog's name. Huh?) is the most laid back feline I have ever met. Even with Rude Cat making ugly sounds and being unwelcoming - 'Cado just ignores her. I think she would love to make friends with her cranky housemate - but it isn't bothering her at all. She eats, sleeps, wanders around the house...plays with toy mice...even spent some time on the lap of a happy man!

Available - One Rude Cat

If your home needs a very pleasant cat - check out her profile and how to adopt on the Angels of Assisi website. Or if you've always wanted a really seriously hideously rude cat - I'm up for a trade-in.

Subtraction or Addition? Multiplication is better than Division.

So - the promised post about what I'm giving up for Lent:

No, I am not Catholic...but from my earliest memory of Lent, my family (spurred by church or by choice) has practiced the tradition of self-sacrifice for Lent. As a kid I remember my mother telling tales of her grandmother giving up movies for Lent - although she had never been to a movie in her life! In our family we were encouraged to actually give up something that we would miss. For me, it was often candy or desserts (though I didn't always make it to Easter) because giving up TV would have been too hard. I remember trying to give up Coke (the drink!) some year...I believe I made it to Ash Wednesday night before the cold sweats took over and I gave up something else.

This year I have chosen to give up McGriddles again...and meat. Beef, chicken, pork, bacon, goat...and although it hasn't been easy so far - I think that I can stick to it. I am allowing myself eggs and fish. And I'm still sticking to my Coke on one day a week that I've pretty much held to for 2 years. But some would ask - why? Why put yourself through this? One of my good friends is giving up digital media in the evenings - no longer on Facebook or emailing or texting at home. Another friend is giving up TV. Why sacrifice?

For me, it is simple - every time I'm confronted with the ham sandwich or meatball or delicious looking pork loin AND make the conscious decision to say no...it serves as a reminder to me. A reminder of the sacrifice that God made for me when he sent his son - and the sacrifice that Jesus made for me when he allowed himself to be crucified. I need reminders. I find that it is easy to skate along through life and just think about my faith when it is convenient to me. If God had that same attitude I would still be needing to sacrifice a couple of pigeons or a lamb every time I wanted to communicate with him. (mmm....lamb...)

Other members of my family are using the opposite side of the equation for Lent - addition. Instead of giving up something, they are adding something positive to their lives (I guess they are giving up time...or energy...or laziness) like walking 30 minutes a day. I think it is just the other side of the same coin. In fact, today I went to the Lynchburg District UMC training and enjoyed a great sermon by the Virginia Annual Conference Bishop Cho. He challenged all of us as leaders in our churches to spend 1 hour each day in spiritual discipline. Not anything like whipping ourselves or running off to join monasteries. His intent is for us to each spend 1 hour of every day in prayer, study, meditation and reflection. That is a great idea. I am giving that great consideration.

So - subtraction or addition? As long as it leads to a deeper faith, I think it can be whichever works best for you. And since we're on the topic of math...

The breakout session that I attended this morning was about communications (led by one of my favorite humans on Earth - the Rev. Liz Ecklund). I went because I am chair of communications at Centenary United Methodist and am interested in how to communicate better. There was sharing of what participants are doing now (newsletters, bulletins, web pages) and ideas of things we could be doing (Facebook, Twitter, advertising...maybe even blogging?). During that session there was an exchange about how much good we can do by telling our stories...and how much damage we can do by telling our stories.

If we are sitting in a restaurant telling our friend about the exciting thing coming up at church (music, mission, worship, entertainment...) and someone overhears they can know that our fellowship is positive and there are things happening that are impacting the community around us. On the other hand...if we are sitting at the restaurant gossiping about who did what to who and how we "can't believe she/he would dare to show their face in church" or how we "may have to forgive but are darn sure not going to forget" - well, you can see what that kind of storytelling reflects.

We have to watch what story we are telling - whether it is through our actions (inside or outside the church) or our inaction. I think my favorite story of the session was this: Pastor Liz and Pastor Rick were visiting the new church that Rick had been assigned to (many years ago) and let themselves into the church on Saturday afternoon through the education building. Straight ahead was a bulletin board that was faded and missing letters in the headline. The picture that was the centerpiece of the bulletin board was a beautiful curly haired blonde boy lying on a rough altar. His father stood over him about to plunge a knife into his chest. (the scene of the near sacrifice of Issac...in case you didn't recognize it) Wow. Welcome, guests!!

What story are you telling?

Look around and see what story your church is telling?

Is it communication to be proud of? If the answer is yes, share your ideas! If the answer is no, then let's work on that...ok?

Division - through gossip, unwelcoming attitudes, petty nit-picking - just reduces the potential. Multiplication expands potential. Which side of the equation do you want to be on?