...so much to do ...so little time (to update the blog!)

Oy! It has been a VERY busy3+ months since I last was able to update this blog. So sorry if you've been faithfully following :( my bad. But here it is finally.... I almost had an opportunity to play The King again! One company where I performed as a flaming idiot was looking for an Elvis impersonator, and another company where I was the King recommended me to play the role! Sadly, our Zombie commitments will keep me from reprising one of my favorite characters. What was really fun was that my housemate Steve was chosen to play the role, so I was able to give him some of my "pointers."

Zombie Prom notes: our Opening Night Gala sponsor is my friend and Grand Hotel doorman Jim! Rehearsals started in September, and I got to spend a lot of time with Joyce ( :0D ) for a welcome change. We've both been so busy, and since we don't share a dwelling any more, these times are more precious. Opening night was the night after Halloween, and even though our houses were small, the audiences were very appreciative.  Many patrons had never heard of the show, and were glad we had introduced a new experience to them. If only it could have translated into more ticket sales. :( In our cast-staff-and-crew photo (below) Joyce and I are second and third from the left in the front row.

Birthday Week activities began with a Sunday night football game at the 'Stick, which our 9ers won - by a lot! :) Unless we can see a playoff game here, this is our last time in the stadium.  Joyce became melancholy as we lingered well past the final minutes of the game, and watched from the exit ramp the players' families playing and gathering in their secluded parking area.  I took our birthday day off from work, and first we had free breakfast at Dennys, which is always a fun tradition. Then we drove to San Francisco to shop on Pier 39, birthday drinks and lunch at the Hard Rock, then headed over to Macys at Union Square where we went to all 7 floors to check it out - since Joyce is now an employee of that organization. We were exhausted as we drove home that evening. We had other people cover us for ZP rehearsal, so we got to go to our homes and rest up. [Not that night but a few nights later we had birthday dinner - with singing by wait-staff - at Black Angus ... yum!] The next night I got to usher for Les Miserables at Saratoga, which was amazing; so many of my friends were in it which is always fun to see them perform! Then the night following that, I got to usher for a fun show at Santa Clara University's Mayer theatre, Travis LeDoyt performing as Elvis in his early years; he is an amazing and very talented performer - he had many of us swooning! All in all a fun week of unique activities.

Rehearsals for 1776 began on Veterans Day, yet another notable start date for our notable show. Our first music rehearsals sounded so incredible - - our performances are sure to be awesome! In the cast-and-staff photo (below) Ana ended up front and center!

I won a couple of free employee activities lotteries at work, because it's a Great Place To Work! The first one Joyce joined me at a tailgate for a 9er away game which was catered by our favorite armadillo bbq restaurant. We didn't win the game, but it was fun watching it on the big screen in our corporate auditorium. The second, Joyce ended up getting scheduled to work, but I won two tickets to see Frozen, which has a character named - of all things! - Princess Ana!! Great music and great animation - this one will definitely end up in my video library! Speaking of watching our football team's games - a couple of our games I spent at my favorite Israeli food restaurant; they let me "take over the TV" and change channels to our game - which each time we won! When I'm not watching it there, I'm listening on my radio in my room, so I am definitely faithful to our boys in red-and-gold!

Sang at Temple for Yom Kippur in September; sang twice again in October; and twice more in November, lastly for an early Chanukkah celebration [Thanksgivukkah!] Was also blessed to read Torah two times in the last three months. I have now been reading more than a year, as I've started to re-read portions I learned last year. The last one I read only half of it last year, so I challenged myself to read the whole portion this year. And another blessing - Joyce got a full-time job at a solar company as an office assistant! Praise the Lord!! Prayers answered.  She will also keep her part-time job at Macys and work there during the holidays.

Other shows I've seen:  1776 in SF with Equity players! very good, but we'll be good too. I got a "cheap" ticket for a Tuesday night performance, so I had a late night of it - but it was worth it. Also participated in Tabard's season kick-off, showcasing the upcoming season's shows - which I'll be in one! There was also an auction, and I tried to bid on a few items, but only ended up getting the prices raised (I guess that's good for Tabard ;-D ) House managed for Pippin several times. Saw several friends in a dramedy, Making God Laugh, which actually had my crying through much of it. Went to see Four Weddings and an Elvis, which is the show where Steve got to play an impersonating minister in Vegas - very funny production! My friend Ted staged his annual Decembrance production again, which I have now seen all three times. We three-peaters got a mention the next day on FB, as he thanked us for our dedication. I also attended a new production of an old work, Duke Ellington's Nutcracker Suite by one of our local jazz bands. It was amazing!! I am now officially in the holiday spirit!

Joyce and I haven't finalized our holiday plans - no holiday shut-down at my corporation, and this is Joyce's busy time at her companies! - but we will gather together at some point and make merry! We both wish you many blessings this holiday season. Let your loved ones know how much they mean to you. Blessings and much love to you all, and Have a Happy and Safe New Year!! 

and summer flies by

kept very busy learning all I could about a new company, new managers to manage, new apps and programs and processes.  One new process was actually new for our whole department, so I was tasked with learning all I could about it, then doing a quick-start training for the team in the bi-weekly meeting.  I did so well at it .... I got enlisted to join the group's training team! Booyah!

Joyce was still up at her dad's most of August as well, helping him pack. She did come home long enough to do an interview, and meet me for lunch at work; while there we got to meet an author of a Disney book about the making of the Snow White movie, and get his autograph on his book! Very exciting!!

Sang at Temple one weekend, and read at Temple another; also went to a service at Dwell - Pastor Jason gave an awesome message as usual. Went to the theatre only once this past month; saw a bunch of friends in The World Goes 'Round downtown. Friends in the audience as well.  It's such a nice small theatre community where everyone knows everyone :-)

Football season starts in a few days, and Joyce and I are ready! We have stocked up on clothes from Vic's Secret, and we got our free clear plastic totes from the 49ers store - it's the only bag we're allowed to carry into the stadium. We're ready for our next run for a Super Bowl!!

work.work.work!

but in a good way!!

It's been nearly a month since I blogged because I have had such a full schedule learning a new job, a new company, that I come home exhausted every night! The folks at work say it takes about a year before you're fully immersed and "know everything" ... just in time for things to change :0)  Some things don't change in corporate culture! And amazingly in the first month I ran into someone who told me about the building's Stitch and B*tch Club that meets at lunch hour every week, so I have a place to actively get some of my projects done!

Sang at Temple twice, and one of those times I also read from Torah - 15 verses in Hebrew! Truly a blessing!! Was kept even busier that day because everyone was travelling (there was a conference in SoCal) so I was even asked to help with the liturgy.  So happy that I was there to take on that responsibility. One visitor to the congregation said she loved our service and was so happy and blessed that she came.

Joyce came home a couple times from her dad's, to bring stuff back and forth, so I got to meet up with her and give her mail, get iced tea and chat. I miss seeing her every day.

Shows I saw with or starring friends:  Steve and I went to the neighborhood park to usher an outdoor performance of Twelfth Night which I've never seen, and it was funny. But it got very cold so I had to leave during the second act after we had gotten all the patrons back and settled in. I also ushered a performance of 9 to 5 which had a ton of friends in the show and in the audience. I loved the part I was going to audition for; the gal who played it definitely made it her own! Caught a performance of You're a Good Man Charlie Brown with all 6 characters played by people I know! And it was a great production too. Of course!

patience is a virtue!

while it's been more than two weeks since my last post, this post will be worthwhile. (did I mention patience already?) First, I attended two Dwell Services and three at Temple as well; and, at Temple, I read my entire portion in Hebrew! That was an incredible blessing, as I usually read between 6 and 9 verses, depending on where a paragraph ends in the selected reading; but this reading was 11 verses long, and there was no logical place to end it in the middle, so I just read it all!

Went for an audition in Pacifica (a one-hour drive each way!) for the comedy Noises Off, but was not even called back for the role I wanted.  Had three opportunities to sing karaoke, which keeps me happy and healthy. Went to the callbacks for 1776, and got to read about 8 characters, which was fun because I love to read to Mama and do all the voices, so this was just like that! 36 hours later they offered me a role! I was so excited!! On July 4th they announced the cast of 26 women, and I will be playing the role of Dr. Lyman Hall of Georgia.  Apparently nearly 80 women had auditioned - this is a rare and very popular opportunity!!

Took my final two tech tours around the valley; they were small groups from Japan and Saudi Arabia, and both of them were very happy with their tours, as reported back to Shawn afterward. The leader of the Japanese tour had worked at YHP and Agilent, so we had things to talk about, and he was elated when (at the Computer History Museum) I introduced him to the oldest docent there, an early Fairchild employee, and offered to take his picture with him - finally someone who appreciates the history of the valley!

On June 30th, a very busy day - I had church, ushering and callbacks - I also  helped Joyce load her car for the drive up to Elk Grove, where she'll be staying with her dad for the month of July.  It was also one of the hottest days of the month! When it rains, it pours - figuratively obviously, as rain would have been welcome with the heat we'd been enduring!! And on the 4th of July I joined my mom and sister, and went to a BBQ at the home of a friend from Temple. Their poor LabraDoodle dog was not  happy when the fireworks started.

For my last week "off" before I start working full time again, I got to have lunch with one of my theatre friends, Charles, and his adorable 2-year-old daughter - oh to have that kind of energy again! And I also had lunch with a former colleague from HP, Bob, and we caught up from our last visit together back in October.

Plays I've seen with or starring friends: I saw my Elvis friend Ron's kids in a very adorable production of Wonderland, in which I saw the Elvis wig that we had worn on his kid as he played a rockabilly Humpty Dumpty with some Rocka-Hula moves! :-) I also ushered for a sing-along showing of Sound of Music (the movie) which was a blast. The show was sold out so it was my job to make sure everyone moved in together, didn't leave empty seats, I ran up and down the queue of folks waiting generally entertaining them, informing them, etc. During breaks I chatted up Scott who was co-producing the production, and when the show was over he told his wife (his co-producer) I was "the best usher ever!"  It's nice to be appreciated for just having a good time!

great news!

to start off, I had a face-to-face job interview, which came from one of my many job apps that I have sprinkled all over the bay area. It wasn't with just one "face" either, but with 15 people in a department, and it lasted for 2-1/2 hours! I felt a really great rapport with everyone, and left feeling hopeful. I felt like this was "the job" I was waiting for so patiently. Just a week and a day later ... I got the call with the job offer!! Yes, I will be starting with Intel in early July - - many prayers answered :-D What was the most encouraging was that the recruiter told me this job req had been open for months (!) so they had been waiting a long time for me too!!

so that was the work front ... on the play front, I auditioned for an all-female version of the most-excellent musical 1776, and I was called back! So exciting. Ever since I saw the movie in the early 70's I have wanted to be in this show; I have watched several local productions, and been envious of my friends who have performed in it (all of them men). And now, there is a small possibility that I could finally be in it myself! Lots of worship this past week too; I sang and read at Temple. No karaoke though, because I had some conflicts, most particularly the last Board Meeting where I preside as President. My two-year term is complete and I can happily step down and let someone else take over. Got to see a friend performing in a funny French farce called Boeing, Boeing. Too hysterical! Glad I made the effort to go see him in it.

the more time passes, the more things change

Had some more maintenance done on my car that left me to my two-wheeled transportation, my trusty one-speed "coaster" bicycle.  Found myself on a 10-mile trek one day! That ride alone made the bus a little more appealing ;-)

Took my mom to a doctor appointment where she got an ear-tube inserted into her ear. I remember when Joyce used to get those ... general anesthesia, lots of down-time.  Now it's outpatient with lidocaine swabs for a local. How times change. Her doctor was a kick in the pants too. I'd complain of ear problems to get him for an appointment :-D

Joyce and I got really cheap tickets to see Green Day's American Idiot at the big performing arts center downtown. That was quite an event! We met another of our theatre friends there and had drinks before the show at a little speakeasy in the basement of a really old building ... very charming!

Attended Temple and Church over the weekend. Both messages were blessings, and just congregating with people of a like mind is so soothing for the soul. Even befriended a little girl, maybe 18 months, who mom and dad says she never goes to strangers, yet she plopped into my lap and fell asleep in my arms. It felt grand!

Got to talk to my dad on his 75th birthday! He's such a busy guy I was very happy when he answered the phone. Strange coincidence ... his 75th is also Johnny Depp's 50th .... yes, strange but true!  One challenge I am going to have over the summer is Joyce needs a place to move to temporarily, so she'll be moving to her dad's for a couple months. I'll have to tough it out not seeing her, only texting her, for a little while.  Ah, this to shall pass. Into each life some rain must fall. What are some other platitudes I can rattle around in my brain to while away the time.

a happy grad, and more!

busy times! again, it's been awhile since I blogged, because so much is going on! Survived all the performances with my Mandragola kids - some of whom are very needy - and got all the costumes taken apart, cleaned and put away.  Another costuming line item for my theatre resume :-) [click a thumbnail to see a larger image]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

attended the Mothers Day service at Dwell, where Pastor Jason asked him mom and wife to join him in delivering the message. That was very special. They also had a great mom-day poem that was delivered by many congregants, which brought tears to my eyes. I was so glad I woke up early to do this! Spent the rest of Mom-Day with other moms' kids (two performances of Mandragola) then ended the evening with my own kid having a beer and catching up at one of our fave pizza joints. Life is good!

while Gwen went to SoCal to attend a great-nephew's graduation, I spent 5 days staying with Nana. During that time I sang at Temple (one of two times this month) - which she loves to hear me sing;  on Sunday Joyce joined us and we drove down to Santa Cruz to celebrate with friends at Elisha's graduation open house; and we went to both of Janet's concerts - the String Ensemble where she plays bass, and the Express Band where she played my French Horn this season. That was enough to wear Mama out, so the rest of the time we stayed home and watched TV.

 

Joyce was busy with finals the week we had Zombie Prom activities, so I handled them all solo. And once finals were done, it was time for Graduations! Both of them :-)  First Joyce had a Thursday afternoon convocation with her department. Mama, Gwen and Woody joined me at that one, where I was able to videotape most of the speakers, and Joyce receiving her diploma! On Saturday, very early in the morning, I went to the stadium and got great seats in the padded - not aluminum bleachers - section reserved for season ticket holders, and Janet and I watched Joyce graduate, move her tassel over, with the rest of the school. Then the three of us joined Joanna, one of our theatre friends, for a leisurely lunch to celebrate the day. The following day, Mama, Gwen, Janet, and our chiropractor friend Dr. Ace had brunch at a very lovely historic locale here in San Jose.

  

spent a 1/2-day narrating another bus tech-tour, this one with several students from Moscow U - very fun! And as if all these activities weren't enough, I was able to get to karaoke twice, since that is my therapy activity :-) and  get to the theatre to see friends performing in Funny Girl, which was very funny, and touching - made me laugh and cry.

a sneak preview

the set hadn't been completed yet, and the clown make-up hadn't been applied, but the costume pieces were all there for the final dress rehearsal:

When the set was finally completed, it looked like this:

Yes, the show is a mad, chaotic mess of color!!

time passes, stuff happens

wow, it's been nearly a month since I really blogged. Not much going on, beside the 49ers Bash that I already blogged about. Got some more service done on my car, which was much needed to prevent a permanent breakdown. Was only carless for a day, so I made public transit work for me. Joyce and I got to spend a lot of quality time together, which always makes me happy. Had a couple opportunities for Wednesday night Karaoke, which is always fun. Some Wednesdays I have other responsibilities, like a Board meeting, so have to 'act like a grown-up' :0D  Got to sing and read several times at Temple these last few weeks, which always makes me happy. Attended another Sunday service at Dwell as well, which was, again, wonderful ... <3 Pastor Jason! who again greeted me warmly before service, as well as another member of the music worship team who was with him. I really  like it there!

preparations for Joyce's graduations are under way. I created the invitations - they are beautiful if I do say so - and mailed them out to family and friends.  Now we just have to wait for end of May to 'make it so!' Joyce went dress shopping and found a real stunner. Pictures will be posted at the appropriate time :-)

we got some sad news too, one of Janet's horses had a tragic accident and died. Only 17 years old - Joyce had practically grown up with him, as she was six years old and first saw him on the day he was born. [ http://flamingeaux.com/album/early_joyce/image026.htm ]

meetings and preparations for two shows - Mandragola at KJHS, and Zombie Prom at SCP - are in full swing. Pictures coming soon for the kids' show, since my costume design is going to be quite spectacular! ZP will be auditioning at the end of the month, partially in conflict with the grad activities - of course! ... when it rains, it pours!

shows we've seen with or starring friends: I went downtown to see many friends in the production of Brigadoon. Even met the director of a show I wanted to be in, 9 to 5, and introduced myself. Saw more friends in a show called Babes in Hollywood, showcasing music performed by and during the era when Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney were big stars - awesome performances by many of my friends. House managed a couple times at SCP for the production of Little Women - which of course made me cry, both happy and sad tears ... I love the book, music, musical - everything!

attending a bash

Joyce and I got to attend the 49ers Draft Bash (since we are season ticket holders) and were standing within a few feet of two football legends - Dwight Clark and Patrick Willis - and a newcomer, Ian Williams. Here are some of the pictures from the event.

Niner Noise drum team

local media trucks were present

before it got really crowded

Ted Robinson, Patrick Willis and Dwight Clark

Ian Williams, Dwight Clark and Ted Robinson

 a true fan

now that we've passed over the holidays

For the holy-days, I spent a good deal of time in worship-full places. On Saturday, I attended service where it was my honor to read some of the scriptures before Charlie's message. The Youth Group performed the music worship too! What a blessing. Then on Easter Sunday, I woke up early enough to attend the 9:30 service at the formerly Willow Glen Baptist, now Dwell San Jose Church, one block from the house. That was a blessing too; not only did I love the way the pastor delivered the message, but I was greeted by him and his year-old daughter before service started, and then by the music worship leader during the meet-and-greet session! They both came all the way from the front of the sanctuary to where I sat in the back row to make that personal contact!! I like  this place :-D Then that afternoon we had our congregation Passover Seder, catered by our favorite Persian caterer Sharam. Delicious, as always. And always terrific fun to see the kids participating, and listening to the music.

Thanks to one of my theatre contacts, I was able to get incredibly cheap tickets for Joyce and I to see Blue Man Group downtown at the Center for Performing Arts. We had dinner at one of our fave pizza joints before-hand, and had a great time watching those crazy-amazing people do their show. Good times!  Also got a heavily discounted ticket to see several of our friends in a local production of Brigadoon, one of my all-time favorite 50's musicals. The discounts almost ;-) make up for what you pay in parking.

Our dear friend from the theatre, Angel, was in town between deployments, and made time to catch up with us. He came to one of my regular karaoke nights, and we spent several hours catching up, singing several songs, and even sang a duet together, B&D's "Neon Moon." That was super special, and the crowd loved  it! Sang karaoke one other time during these two weeks, but it was at a more popular - more crowded - 'hot spot' and got to sing only twice in the 3-1/2 hours that I was there. Note to self - never again!!

SCP theatre activities included getting a 5-hour training session on the processes for updating various parts of our website, database, etc. Also finished out the hiring process of much of the staff of Zombie Prom (yay!) And had my first meeting about costuming for KJHS again, this time for a comedy - Machiavelli's Mandrangola. Get to come up with some commedia dell'arte type clownish costumes - fun-fun-fun!! Got to keep busy, can't ever be bored :-D

spring greetings!

...these cards cracked me up! [click images to enlarge]

 

 

.... AND ....

getting spring fever

after not having my car for more than a week, and several things being wrong with it, I finally got my baby back, with a brand new clutch. Boy does it drive differently! Marinko was a gem ... guess he'll be my chief mechanic from now on :-) Had a temp agency interview at HP - - felt like it went well, so we'll see if I can get back to work in familiar territory. Joyce and I got together several times these last couple of weeks, for drinks, dinner, shopping. Ahhh, makes me happy! Easter and Passover are fast approaching - our congregational seder will be Easter Sunday afternoon, our passover tradition! Happy Holy Days to all!!

theatre, anyone?

finally finished up my part in the Sunday production by delivering the last of the costumes to their locations, and collecting my check. Now it's done (except for getting the dvd's with photos of the production - but who knows how long that will take!) Joyce and I have started having discussions about Zombie Prom, and will need to start the interview process next week so we can set up our staff before auditions at the end of May. So exciting! Saw three productions this week: was one of the ushers for Wizard of Oz (then went to karaoke after that (-: ); finally saw Steve in his production of Harvey, which was so funny my face hurt from laughing so much; got my 1/2-price ticket to see several of our friends in Sugar, (the musical version of the movie Some Like It Hot) which was very entertaining - great music and it's always fun to see folks you know play "against type." Another karaoke opportunity - one of our friends turned 40 this week, and as we musical folks like to do, had his party at one of our karaoke bars. Any opportunity to sing! St. Patrick's Day came and went without any excessive partying - any partying at all.

no show withdrawals when you're still working on a show

I spent a few days de-constructing the outfits I had made alterations to, in order to return them to an original state before cleaning. That can be a bit of a let-down ... taking apart pretty hats, removing the "baby bump" from Dot's skirt ... but it had to all be done. Dropped off most of the costumes during the week, but the hand-washes and home machine washes were saved for the last.

Got to karaoke on Wednesday - yay! and on Friday I house managed and finally got to see the production of Wizard of Oz that I had made the 4 chair covers for. They looked lovely! Got to sing and read at Temple on Shabbat - a double blessing! But on the way to Mama's, my car died - the clutch gave out half-way there, and I limped the rest of the way at 25 mph, making other drivers very unhappy. Had to borrow one of their cars so I could make the rest of the costume deliveries, run errands, and just generally have transportation for a few days! Had my baby towed to a VW service shop - let's hope he can fix it without breaking my bank!

(so sad to see my baby towed away by that big old tow-truck!)

we put it all together, and now we put it all away

since my last post - well the last excluding the one picture post after final dress - so much has happened! Costume alteration - and some creation - consumed much of my free time. On Oscar Sunday I listened to the Oscars on my phone app while I was sewing. That was a novel experience (I prefer watching on TV.) I had all the main costume pieces for the show by the Monday rehearsal before Wednesday's opening night. I just had to make an eye-patch for Boatman, and an ascot on Wednesday morning to complete the ensemble for Mr. I was pretty proud that I made the ascot from simply looking at a picture online - no pattern! Earlier in this process I had indicated I would be backstage to help with costumes and quick changes, which also made me available to help with hair sculpting, beard gluing and moustache drawing! Made it through all four shows with minimal issues, a few upset tummies, and a lot of love all around. This has been an experience I will remember my entire life!

the inspiration

Act I pose

 

 

Act II pose 

 

 

The staff that "put it all together!" 

final.dress.rehearsal (whew!)

survived the final dress rehearsal, and here is a snapshot of my efforts! in a Park, with George and his friends, on a Sunday!

wow, costuming can be fun!

Have been so busy with the show that it's been a week and a half since I've updated! With 19 characters in the show, and each kid gets two costumes - did I bite off more than I can chew? No, I will get thru this! In order to see the whole show (rehearsals haven't been a complete run-thru yet) I rented the Broadway video on iTunes. Amazing show! Now I see why Jim loves it so. Had my first costume parade, then my first dress rehearsal three days apart. Jim commented to the cast and crew assembled after the rehearsal that I have done a tremendous job in the two weeks I've had to pull this all together. So nice to be appreciated! It is looking mighty terrific if I do say so! Pictures will follow once the show is complete. One of my costume troves (I rented 4 items from them) is at my college alma mater, where a friend and fellow thespian from high school works as the department head! Small world :-) We caught up as much as we could while still looking at costumes. It's so good to see someone from "the old days."

The 3rd of the latest Bond movies came out so I had to purchase it on the first available day, and watch it that evening. Oh yeah, second-best Bond ever (Sean being first!) And it's also in IMAX on the big domed screen downtown - must watch it there too!

Got to Shabbat services early on the morning when I was to read from Torah (in Hebrew of course), so was blessed with hearing the music worship before it was my turn to make aliyah. The Gabai only had to help me with one word - one I would frequently stumble on so you'd think I would have it, but no - so all in all it was a good reading. Mama was there, and said she always loves to hear me read.

Fingers crossed .... applied for a job at HP, and got a call from the HP recruiter the next day, wanting to do a phone-screen, which went well.  Now to just patiently wait and hope that I get an in-person interview with the manager in Sunnyvale.

And because I don't have enough theatre in my life .... heheheh ... I ushered again for Promises, Promises, and got to see all my friends again. And I also got to see Looking Over the President's Shoulder, a one-man show about a real-life butler who waited on 4 presidents from the 30's to the 50's. Incredible performance by my friend James in the lead. And, the junior production of Wizard of Oz needed 4 chairs slip-covered in emerald green (go figure!) so they called me to see if they could use my sewing skills .... just skipping from one theatre, to another, to another .... finished out the busy week by attending opening night of Oz, and enjoying the gala afterward.

and on to new things!

now that the not-so-super activities are over, I can refocus on other productions. A friend of mine, my director from Flaming Idiots, is directing a high school production of Sunday in the Park with George and desperately needs a costumer.  I was the only volunteer he knew, so he felt he could put his trust in me. I attended a couple of rehearsals, measured all the kids, waded through their costume stacks and pulled a few pertinent pieces, and then set about trying to find other companies who might be able to help me pull the show together - - before the end of the month! Oh it will be fun. :-) I've never seen this show, so a script read-thru was a must. Then I'll need to watch the video clips, and hopefully get my hands on a full video of the Broadway production.

on Wednesday night, by popular demand, I went to karaoke, as my KJ was reminding me in email "it has been two weeks!" since I had sung last. It's good to be wanted. Sadly, whether I caught it from the kids at the high school, or from the big kids at karaoke, I came down with a nasty stomach bug that knocked me out of singing over the weekend. Had plans to sing at Temple and at a fundraiser for the theatre, but I couldn't make it to either gig. Not good. Well, the good part about it was that I started watching old episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise on Netflix during my waking-but-resting hours. I had forgotten how much I loved that show.

not so super

Got to help my roommate/landlord/friend/former-cast-mate Steve run lines for his current production. He gets to play Elwood P. so he has a lot of lines! And of course I love to do all the voices for the rest of the cast of Harvey, so we had a great time, and I think I was a little help as well. And it turns out one of my Grand Hotel castmates is in the show with him too! Just one more reason to go see it when it opens.

Got to work another tour of the Silicon Valley, one of three busses that went to Facebook, LinkedIn and Adobe. Had a great crowd of visitors from all over the world, learning and development leaders in their industries. It was terrific fun! Took a bunch of pictures; also saved a ton of money on parking by taking the light rail instead. Smart!

Our friend Woody was in town for a short time to attend a funeral, so I lucked out and was able to fit into his busy schedule. We had lunch at our favorite Jerusalem Grill before Erev Shabbat, and breakfast at the airport before his flight out Sunday. Always good to catch up with him when he is visiting our fair state.

Steve and I had independently signed up to help out as lobby staff for the show Promises, Promises, so we carpooled over - of course! This is a show I have never seen, although I have seen the non-musical movie version many times. Of course we have many friends in the cast, staff and crew, so it was good to see all of them too.

Radio and TV programs were full of stuff about the upcoming Super Bowl all week long. Got to listen to some of it, at home on the radio, and with Mama when I was there on Saturday. While there, I made a batch of chicken etouffee - "tastes just like alligator!" - to take to the party I attended, at one of my theatre peep's home, Pasha. We have known him for years, as he videotapes performances, performs in shows, and has bought our '9er tickets too. Joyce and I just <3 him! Sadly the game didn't end the way we wanted it too, but it was fun to be with friends and watch on his amazingly large screen! As everyone there seemed to say, there's always next year. Yeah, but that only helps a little. All of the bay area was just certain that we were going to succeed in our 'quest for six.'  

just a typical week

I received the email that I hoped would have a different answer; our super bowl team did not select us in it's random drawing to purchase SB tickets. Oh well, maybe next time :-) Joyce and I had lunch together a couple times this week - that always makes me happy! I was tasked last week with contacting the publishing company to get the rights to 'our show' - Joyce and I both loved it, going twice to see it playing in Palo Alto. When the publishers confirmed we could have the rights, Joyce said she would co-produce it with me - Yay! We will have so much fun. I'll be able to divulge the name when we announce the season - stay tuned....

This week's movie at the dollar theatre (well, now it's $5.50, but it used to cost a dollar back in the 70's and the name has stuck) was The Last Stand with our former governor. Great action flick, where the good guys mostly live and always win. Wednesday night I finally got back to my favorite karaoke joint - it's been since before Christmas - 5 weeks! - since I've been to karaoke. Went to see some live theatre too; this was my season ticket to Tabard, and the show was I Left My Heart, which was three of my fave local guys - Will, Tim and Mike - singing Tony Bennett songs. They were, of course, terrific! Will was one of my co-stars in Elvis last Fall, so of course we greeted each other with "Roscoe!" "Candy!!"

On Shabbat I stayed home with my mom, who wasn't up this week to going to service and the membership meeting following - it becomes a really long day for her to do both. Instead we watched some golf and football on TV.  On the menu for dinner was lamb, and since we were all out of our new favorite vinaigrette, Wild Thyme's Mandarin Orange Basil, I decided to try to recreate it myself. It turned out pretty good! Apple Cider Vinegar, Olive Oil, fresh squeezed orange juice (right off the tree!), grated orange peel, basil, sea salt and cracked pepper.  Oh yeah, it was good.

As football is winding down, there was only one game this week, and it had a weather delay to boot. But I listened to the Pro Bowl on Sunday afternoon, as our conference ran away with the game. Just one more game this season, and hopefully our guys will win it!

super bowl bound

While football filled our thoughts for the week (as it should) we still had to carry on with the business of other important things. At the theatre, the board met to discuss the Playreading Committee's selections for next season's shows - one of which is my personal favorite. Hopefully we will have rights quickly and be able to make an announcement very soon! And, I applied for another "perfect" job, but have to wait thru the process of numerous other applicants being assembled, so must be patient, as usual.

Football Sunday arrived, and the Niners won the game against Atlanta! Yes, we will be going to the Super Bowl - first time in 18 years!! (the season that began in 1994, SuperBowl 29.) And who do we face? Jim's big brother John's team - yes, we will have a Super-Har-Bowl!!

transitions

The big event this week was the funeral of a friend.  Our dear friend Ezra from Congregation passed away peacefully a few weeks after his 82nd birthday. He had a 20 year career in the USAF, and so had military honors, and burial in a National cemetery. I got to meet some of his 11 children at his wedding four months ago, and met a few more of them at the funeral. It was good to see that his generous and loving nature is being carried on by his offspring.

Had the opportunity to go see the movie Lincoln. Amazing performances by the leads - - one would never know that Sally is 11 years older than Daniel is! And Spader has always been a favorite actor - his character was hysterical. Wanted to get to karaoke this week but it was not to be.  It has been since before Christmas that I've been able to sing with that crowd. Luckily I was scheduled to sing at Temple on Shabbat, so I at least could sing.

Joyce and I went to the car show. She was downtown already going to class, so I caught the light-rail in and met her at the convention center. We spent a couple hours roaming through the cars, old and new, and took a fun test-drive in a new Jeep, Moab model. Posted a bunch of pictures at http://www.flamingeaux.com/2013/cars/ We also took advantage of a BOGO coupon at a downtown pizza restaurant, and had yummy food at a great price!

After singing with Charlie, Yosi and Phil at service, I went to watch football with Mama. Elder Harbaugh's team won the first game - a six quarter heart-attack-inducing thriller; and Younger Harbaugh's team handily won the second.  It was a good day for football! Sunday's games didn't go quite as we wanted, as it would have been more fun to have a home game against arch-rivals [instead we go East to play Atlanta;] and I really wanted the Texans to beat the Patriots - "I H8 the P8s!" The next three weeks are going to be very exciting football-wise!!

happy new year!

Happy New Year! I opted this New Years Eve  not  to go out and karaoke this year. I stayed in where it's warm and safe, and watched movies on Netflix. Also, my new 'guilty pleasure' series is The Glades, set in Florida, the land of my birth. Over several days, I watched all the episodes of the first two seasons, which are all that are available. Finished the updates to the website, http://www.flamingeaux.com/2012/ and also wrote the holidays/new year letter to forward to family and friends.

My mom had a 'spell.' We all worry about her having a recurrence of stroke, so we pay special attention when she experiences symptoms out of the ordinary. She had been having severe headaches, so I spent several hours with her at the hospital, getting an MRI, blood tests, and having an IV with replacement fluids, treating for dehydration. During all the down time between tests and consultations, I read to her from my Billy Graham e-book, Nearing Home. Nothing better than the inspiration that the great evangelist can deliver.

Since I wasn't able to see Les Miserables on Christmas Day, I made time this first week of 2013 to see it.  What an amazing production. Unlike some folks, I don't compare apples to oranges, so I didn't set any expectations based on the times I've seen the staged production of this musical. I thought all the performances were very compelling, and was not disappointed by any part of it. I was positively weeping at the end, and needed the entire length of credits to dry my tears and compose myself.

The first wild card games were played on a Saturday, so I was at my mom's taking care of her, and we watched the two games together. I was glad that the Texans could win the early game, but really wanted the Vikings to win the second one. Got a bunch of mending done for my mom in between plays and during commercials. Sunday's games were more important, and I was (sort of) happy that the Ravens won the first game - happy for Ray Lewis and his final game of his football career. He is quite an inspirational character, and I look forward to see what he does with his second career opportunity. Of course, if the Ravens make it to the SuperBowl and we do too, it could be a Har-Bowl! Sadly, the second game didn't go the way I wanted it to ... I would have preferred that the Redskins would have won.