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the first Saturday in May ... I watched an amazing horse win the Kentucky Derby handily (with my Julep in hand).  I have high hopes this one will go. all. the. way! 

after many years of hard work, Joyce is finally completing her masters, and I flew to AZ to be there!  I worked all day Monday in Santa Clara, then caught the corporate shuttle - fancy schmancy! - to Mesa, and then worked two more days in the Chandler office. Janet flew up Wednesday, and we had a wonderful pre-grad dinner with Joyce and her "work family," who were delightful!

the weather temps were over and near 100 the entire week. It was physically draining on me. but I trudged on ... too much to do to take a time-out. finally the big day came! Thursday was graduation day!

Janet and I took it easy on Friday; we had mid-day brunch then did a little shopping before I took her to the airport. Saturday I woke before the roosters - well, really the doves - and caught a destination tour to the Grand Canyon! check that one off the Bucket List!! 

Sunday Mothers Day Joyce and Brian picked me up after dropping the rental car,  and we had lunch at their fave craft beer place. They got me to the airport, and I flew my tired self home. what a great week!!!

at work, at our quarterly all-division gathering, I was recognized with two of my peers as an Admin of Excellence!  This was an inaugural award and hopefully will be given out going forward on at least an annual basis.  So honored to have been in this rarefied situation!!
 
the third Saturday in May and we saw Justify again race amazingly at the Preakness! he is just tremendous to watch ... can't wait for the Belmont in June :-) 

found a rare opportunity to watch the Sleeping Beauty ballet in an enhanced viewing situation ... the ballet company set up a live audiocast that ran during the production where some of the production staff talked about "behind the scenes" elements of the show ... all for a reduced rate of admission. it was fascinating to get this 'peak behind the curtain' in a world that I only wish I could be more a part of.  and finally, the Monday before Memorial Day, we held our band concert, and if I do say so, Janet and I sounded amazing in our harmonies on some pretty classy music!

the Thursday before Memorial Day I finally started the sabbatical that got postponed from last October.  nothing, not even having two brand new admins join the department in the last few weeks, was going to stop me from taking this time off this time!  Cramming training in on an abbreviated schedule about killed me, but I left feeling confident I'd done all I could to prepare the five people who were taking over all my various roles for the four weeks I would be out.  Ahhhh...... 

a p r i l . 2 0 1 8

after 2-1/2 weeks without my car, she is finally back home - and my wallet is considerably lighter :-/

my gifts were being requested again ... my upholstery skills were remembered, and I was asked to create a poof (or as I call it, a "phabulous pooph") for our production of La Cage aux Folles.

.... and because I was 'already there' then I was asked to help out with costumes as well.  I guess I'm back to bein' busy in the theatre lobby!  All the hours I put in are matched with dollars from my employer, so they get my labors of love and donations to boot!

went to see several friends in a comedy I'd never heard of, Adrift in Macao. witty dialogue, clever lyrics, madcap slapstick ... a well spent afternoon! squeezed in a night of karaoke to stretch out those sore sewing muscles. and volunteered a couple of Saturdays for Janet's organization. 

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is it winter or spring? definitely the weather can't offer any clue! one week we have heat in the 70s and 80s, and the next we have frost warnings for plants and pets.  and the drought is less of a worry since there have also been torrential rains!  apocalypse much?  since Janet was out of town for her season ticket performance of The Miracle Worker, I got to go in her place, and see some of my kids from Frog&Toad last summer!  checked up on my buddy Wilbur after that - he sheds so much I didn't dare go before the show :-D

Janet and I spent several hours going through Mama's things, getting them out of the house so someone can now live like the queen-bee she thinks she is :-/ and she made it as painful for us as possible.  if 'what doesn't kill us makes us stronger' - - we should be Herculean by now!!   and at the end of the long day, my car died - major electrical issues - so I had to get a rental car and have the baby-bug towed.  parts for 20 year old cars are sparse, but luckily there was ONE left in the entire country, so the service manager claimed it for me.  whew!

my Alice and Frog&Toad director asked me to return again as a Mentor for this summer's production - Aladdin Jr!  not only do I get to be a mentor, I get to be the Lead Mentor and guide the new mentors who are joining the production.  such an honor to be entrusted with that responsibility.

tried out a new karaoke venue, about 4 miles from home. love the proximity. the vibe isn't the same as my "regular" places, but the number of people was small which made the rotation shorter - bonus!

went to see friends performing in Sister Act, the musical based on the movie.  what a great show! now I wish I had auditioned. and of course it was wonderful seeing so many of my theatre "family" that I haven't seen in so long.

started working with Janet on one of her humanitarian projects - the one connected with her trip to India. my gifts will be utilized for good worldwide! and volunteer hours will be monetarily matched through the matching gifts program at work!

one of the attorneys at work asked me to join the Proximity Team! he knows I'm an event planner and love karaoke, so I get to plan one activity with that theme. of course that means checking out venues, so I sang karaoke one more time at another newish spot .... for research purposes of course!

on the last day of the month I read Haftarah at Temple. I am now on "hiatus" for several months. only the Lord knows when I will be back.

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it doesn't even feel like winter. records were being broken regularly, and drought worries set in again. was blessed to read and sing at Temple on two different Shabbats.  Janet had some extended vacation plans so she asked me to feed and check on her cat Wilbur a few times; what a snuggle-bug - - a bit of a biter but it could be worse. I also got to attend one of her church Bible Studies, again with the singles group, and Janet led the music and we sang harmonies together - - we were awesome. :-)   at work, we finally started the process of interviewing a replacement admin, which means I'll be able to get back to a normal work schedule - yay!  one of our proximity events at work was to go see the new Black Panther movie, and I was one of the few who got a ticket to see it! at the end of the month, band practice started again, and Janet and I will continue playing first and second chair horns :-)

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welcome to a new, hopefully better, year!  I started off right by singing at Temple one Shabbat.  and, since it's a work holiday, the evening before MLK Day I joined theatre friends and stayed out until closing singing karaoke! so much fun to be able to stay until the end without worrying about having to be work-ready 6 hours later!

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highlights of 2017

     this is just a quick review of the year.  to see the full details, keep reading after the Highlights, including many many pictures! 

january

     sang and read at Temple, which is always a blessing.  met a Globetrotter who came to work on a publicity tour.  our Queen from Alice passed away from her illnesses, and many of us met again at her memorial service.  moved a lot more of my possessions from my large storage unit into the apartment, and have now only got one small storage unit with items that just won't fit right now.  saw on the big screen a marvelous space race movie called Hidden Figures. 

february 

     football wasn't super this year.  saw many of our friends in another gender-neutral production of 1776.  the Broadway production of Newsies has been released as a film, which couldn't make me happier!  got to see both casts in our theatre's junior production of Shrek.  

march

     saw friends in the production Cemetery Club.  Saw a new iteration of Shakespeare's The Tempest on the big screen.  Joyce said I had to see the new live action Beauty & the Beast at the movie theatre too, so I did.  made another Paint Nite painting, this time of a beach scene.  made a well received presentation to the admins of our executives.  sang at Temple twice.  Janet and I again started rehearsals playing our horns in our community band.  

april

     saw many friends in the musical comedy The Drowsy Chaperone.  Janet and I saw The Musical of Musicals the Musical and laughed uproariously throughout.  sang twice and also read at Temple.  had three admin professionals activities during "our week."  enjoyed the Easter meal with Mama at her facility.  

may

     also spent Mothers Day with Mama at her facility; this day is truly a parking nightmare!  but she's worth it :-)  our band concert went very well and Janet's solos were beautiful.  before our concert, I arrived early and got to watch Janet's symphony orchestra perform, she played her bass.  saw a live event called The Blues Sisters at our "2nd home" theatre.  also got to see Will Durst there on another evening, as Janet gave me her ticket when she had to go out of town.  

june

     painted a lovely impressionist scene at another Paint Nite session.  Mama had another fall, another severe stroke, and after three days she passed away.  Joyce was able to travel up and be with her during that time.  

july

     as is our tradition, I saw the fifth Pirates installment on the big screen.  it was my turn to read Torah one Shabbat, and I got to sing at another service.  these opportunities helped to bring me out of my sadness.  I wasn't going to participate, given all that has transpired, but my Alice director suggested I just come to the first rehearsal and see how I do.  the kids greeted me so warmly, and were so convincing, that I did say I would join them in A Year with Frog & Toad. 

august

     our performances of Frog & Toad were heartwarming and therapeutic.  one of the directors of our theatre's latest production of Fiddler asked me to make a very special prop, an hand-made doll, for this show.  Christian, Janet, Joyce and I gathered to celebrate Mama's life with many of her friends from work, play and Temple.  it was a tremendously uplifting gathering.  got to view the eclipse at work, through proper eyewear passed around among several people standing in the building's glass stairwell. 

september

     joined the cast of the local ballet troupe's Nutcracker.  my first time in a ballet since I was age five.  painted another Paint Nite painting, of wine in a vineyard.  my sabbatical had to be postponed as the two admins who would have covered for me left our division and now I have no coverage.  went to another high school reunion, combined with Christian's class since our numbers are dwindling.  at the theatre Janet and I saw many theatre friends in Peter & the Starcatcher.  I also saw the production with my doll, Fiddler on the Roof.  Janet and I started rehearsals in our community band.  

october

     Janet and I went to a concert by the USAF Airmen of Note.  my birthday was going to be spent attending a wedding, going on a safari and spending a little time in wine country.  then the Tubbs fire struck the night before.  I still was able to drive up to the wedding, in a very fancy rental car, and instead of the safari, I went for a hike up to the newly restored and opened "blue cube" which had been a secret cold war building most of my younger years.  participated in the Simchat Torah service.  Joy! 

november

     continued rehearsals for Nutcracker and also helped out the costumers with some sewing.  had an odd reason to go sing karaoke one night; a car accident happened in front of my apartment, and the wrecked car blocked my parking spot!  also sang at Temple.  Janet invited me to her church's Friendsgiving dinner, and I brought a big pot of Chicken Mole.  

december

     we opened our Nutcracker in the very large performing arts center, which seats over 2,000 audience members.  we had nine performances over two weekends.  I was in one of the photos in a Chinese language newspaper!  Janet and I performed in our band concert.  a co-worker gave me his tickets to our football team's home game, which they actually won (they'd been losing).  saw the latest Star Wars at the IMAX theatre downtown!  

     read about the whole year in greater detail below and in the Older Posts.

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wow! the holidays crept up on me!! first weekend of Nutcracker was exhilarating and exhausting - we had five shows over three days!!!  the second weekend was only four shows over three days, with a closing - full house - matinee on Sunday!  our production was mentioned in a few local publications, including one completely written in Chinese! (that's me in the photo, on the left.)

Janet and I performed in our band concert, both playing our French Horns, and she was thrilling playing the solos in the star wars heros arrangement!

Janet again invited me to a singles group gathering of her church people, at her favorite restaurant - - a fun gathering with some lovely young folks.

our holiday gathering at work again had an ugly sweater contest, and again I came in second - - still no grand prize for me.  but I netted a sort of prize ... one of my coworkers at the party offered to give me his 49er ticket to the Titans game, since he has a new baby at home and he doesn't want to go (face it, we've not had a good season).  lucky for me this game we did win!

the day after Christmas I went downtown to see the new movie Star Wars: The Last Jedi on the domed IMAX screen at The Tech.  that is the perfect way to immerse yourself into a flight into outer space!

because I am interim-supporting an exec at work, I eventually had to start working overtime to catch/keep up. while it put a little holiday jingle in my wallet, it sucked the last little bit of energy I had so the season wasn't as merry as it could have been.  ah, what I sacrifice for the team! :-)

Blessings to all my family & friends around the world. I hope this holiday season finds you well,
in the company of those you love, and with enough to sustain you.  Too many examples of
gluttony and excess fill the news, and I'm grateful to have "enough."
Here's to 2018!!

n o v e m b e r

well into rehearsals for Nutcracker, and am getting to work on some costumes too. adding sparkling "dewdrops" to tulle Flower skirts, and trim to a prince tunic ... right there in my wheelhouse! I'm having so much fun in general on this show!  also went to see one of my fave local performers, Chaz, singing and sax'ing at a new venue I've not been to yet. crowds were light, but we made it lively :-)  a last minute plea from the producer had me volunteering to house manage a performance of Avenue Q.   as I'd not ever seen this show before, the producer let me watch instead of man the lobby. Janet and I were also busy with band practice for the holiday concert next month. and, I had the opportunity to sing at Temple, which is always a welcome blessing! I even made it out one night for karaoke, only because there had been a wreck in front of my apartment complex, and one of the wrecked vehicles was right in front of my carport spot ... I couldn't go home! until after the ambulance, fire trucks, police personnel and tow trucks were all done.  Janet invited me to her church's Friends-giving dinner (the week before the official) and I took off a half-day from work to prepare an international dish to bring - - chicken mole (which went over really well!)