s e p t e m b e r

started out the month laboring most of the Labor Day weekend, trying to finally get the last of our stuff out of storage. wow, do I hate moving!  but I did get to sing at Temple a couple of times so the laboring was balanced with joyous "rest."  at work, I did a fun volunteer activity where I read childrens' books into electronic e-readers, so that children (or adults learning to read) could have a companion voice while they are practicing. It was so much fun I actually read 3 times longer than the time I had originally volunteered.  when I attended the season opener party at my favorite downtown SJ venue (where I've been Elvis, and played a Founding Father) I ran into old friends from several of my performing activities, including a Glue Factory friend, and two of my kids when I played Miss Darbus in HSM2, so many years ago. Finished out the month at the theatre again, watching Spring Awakening at SCP.

a u g u s t

play time is over ... on to something new.

started out the month with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity ... got to see BARBRA in concert!  had an awesome seat in section 101 ... the only drawback was that I had to turn my head to look at the big screen over my shoulder - - but I could live with that.  it was tremendous!!


also, had another opportunity to repeat an historic activity that I missed out on last year. the Rosie the Riveter Trust needed to win back their world record for having the most women dressed as Rosies in one place at the same time. We broke the record, then another WWII group back east won it from us soon after. not to be outdone, we decided to win it back!

so 2,270 Rosies and Bro-sies (guys were invited to participate this year) gathered inside a pavilion (it was SO hot outside last year!) and we had music and activities - - oh, and we took back our record! what made it extra special was that I took the train up to the pavilion in Richmond, but I didn't want to change clothes up there and have to carry around a big bag all day, so I rode up in the train dressed as Rosie. I got looks, but I also got positive reinforcement and probably educated a bunch of young people in the process.  not bad at all!

got to attend another proximity event with a number of colleagues in other departments in our greater division, including someone waaaay up the food chain from me! that was exciting!  and got to attend the wedding of one of our dear friends, Ritchard, who was the reason Joyce and I got involved in theatre so many years ago. we are so happy for the two of them!

j u l y

started off the month joyously, singing at Temple with some of my favorite fellow musicians.

had Monday and Tuesday off for the Fourth, but didn't go anywhere special. just got more cleaning and organizing done, making my apartment a "home."

rehearsals all month in preparation for my first musical performance in over two years! so exciting!! "playing" with the kids is so much fun! I have a big song-and-dance number that was so exuberant, we had to scale back some of the choreography so I could finish singing the song; as the Caterpillar I sang "Zip A Dee Doo Dah." my other characters were a weed in the "Golden Afternoon" garden, a sea turtle in the "Caucus Race" and I held up the Rabbit's house (a la a construction worker) - all of this in Act I; in Act II besides being the Caterpillar and Mathilda, I was also a crazy guest at the Mad Hatter's Tea Party.  barely a minute here and there to rest up for each next scene! we had fairly good audiences with each performance, and each one was most appreciative.  for the meet-and-greet I even had one young patron, who as his mom said "doesn't talk to adults," chatting up a storm and hugging me!  ah, the power of the Caterpillar!

j u n e

first audition in almost 3 years, and I'm in a show again! I'll be playing older sister Mathilda and also the Caterpillar in Disney's Alice in Wonderland Jr. at Tabard where I was last seen there in 1776. happy to be back at one of my most favorite venues. I'm also there, by special request, to be a mentor to three young budding actresses - - so much fun!! two of my karaoke jocks have recently started shows at new venues, so I checked out both places this month. there is no such thing as too much karaoke :-)

I also had the joy of reading Torah and singing at one service this month - - such a blessing!

m a y

spent Mothers Day with my mom - Joyce was out of town. in the afternoon, Janet joined Mama and I, and the three of us had dinner at Janet's favorite watering hole. very delightful!

got to see our local soccer team play at their new stadium, as I joined my work colleagues for another after-work proximity event. and of course our team won :-)

went to see a band that I follow on FB at a local hotel.  they were very fun to watch, and during breaks the lead singer came over to talk to me.  since he's French, all I wanted to do was listen to him speak :-)  but halfway through their second set he asked if I wanted to sing along with them! don't have to ask me twice!  we sang a duet of Beyond the Sea where I sang harmony to his melody - - great fun!  also busted out some Elvis, which was very popular.

even though Janet wasn't playing - she was on a business trip - I went to see "our band" perform. I would have played this season if I hadn't moved right at the beginning of rehearsals.  awesome music, with a nautical theme.

watched the Indy 500 in my own living room for the first time in years. and it was so thrilling to see a rookie from California win!!  and all the crashes were spectacular and safe - - a good combination indeed.  and also for Memorial Day, I watched the moving and inspirational Memorial Day Concert from Washington DC.  a fine way to end the long weekend.

a p r i l

while a great number of our congregants were in Israel, I was asked to sing and read several times.

at work, we have activities called proximity events - our leaders trying to get us more closely aligned while working by giving us opportunities after work to gather together in a more social setting. we had one this month at a local wine-tasting establishment in Saratoga. it was a lot of fun having really good wine flights and good company

shows I've seen with or starring friends: at my high school, the students' Spring production was Les Miserables, and they were tremendous! very well acted, and of course I cried several times;  a staged reading of The Diary of Anne Frank with several of my friends in it, which was an emotional roller coaster - the wonder and exuberance of youth, and the horror that was to come; Crowns, which I've seen before, and will probably see again if it's staged anywhere nearby. it is such a glorious production. I also attended a matinee of Billy Elliot because my employer bought out an entire performance! every single person in the audience was from my company :-)

m a r c h

so nice to be in "my own place" ... cooking meat in my kitchen, doing laundry any ol' time :-)  it's a financial hardship but I hope/think it will be outweighed by the many other benefits.  out of necessity (it costs so much) before I even had my first load of possessions put in order, I had the POD full of stuff that I stored 3 years ago delivered, and had that emptied out over two days. whew! hard labor!!  last will be the storage unit that I've had access to since we all moved out of the house in san jose. When that is emptied, then I will be completely in!

read from the Torah, a portion that is new to me, and is usually only read in Hebrew on leap years. honored and humbled that I was chosen for this singular blessing.

 

at work, in celebration of Women's Month, we had a couple activities that were really fun. first, my friend Becca performed in a staged reading about Ada Byron Lovelace, as Ada - that was exciting! then, I had my headshot photo taken by a "celebrity photographer" after one of our Women in Leadership activities. go tech gals!

shows I've seen with or starring friends: I caught one of the final performances of "my kids" in a production of Mulan Jr.  so adorable, and wonderful to see so many of my theatre "family" too.