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. 

m a r c h . 2 0 1 8

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.

f e b r u a r y . 2 0 1 8

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 :-)

j a n u a r y . 2 0 1 8

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!

d e c e m b e r . 2 0 1 7

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.

d e c e m b e r . 2 0 1 7

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!) 

s e p t e m b e r / o c t o b e r

september

well it was supposed to be a sabbatical, but work got in the way...

the admin who was supposed to provide major coverage for me while I took four whole weeks off (!!!) took a new position in another division and left me and the team high and dry. since I have plans in October that cannot be changed, I shortened my time away from the office to just 9 days :-( ... not quite a sabbatical, but I really do need the R&R.

I saw an opportunity to fulfill a bucket list event! the local ballet corp needed an actor to play Grandmother in this season's Nutcracker! the last time I danced to this ballet I was five! I'll also get to help out with costumes as part of my volunteer contribution! bonus!!

since two of my paint nights were cancelled in a row, they gave me a "freebie" and I used it to paint this lovely work of art.

finally got to attend another high school reunion. our school event coordinators combined the class before us with ours, and I went with two friends I've kept in touch with all these many years, Joe and Eileen.

shows I've seen: Janet and I caught an exceptional production of Peter & the Starcatcher starring a number of my theatre friends.  I got to see my doll "perform" in Fiddler on the Roof. It was such a moving performance, and a sold out house on a Thursday night!

at Yom Kippur Yizkor service I got to share again about Mama.  her birthday is coming up. there will be a lot of "new normals" coming ....

october

birthday time of year! but before that, Janet and I started band practices again, in preparation for the holiday concert. we have a fabulous bunch of music so far. no telling what the final music set will be, but it will be great!

Janet and I got to attend a great jazz band concert at Joyce's alma mater; the USAF Airmen of Note played at Valley Christian. we even took the opportunity to greet the lead singer afterward; she was a delight and took great pleasure in seeing our appreciation of their performance. (she said I 'was glowing' throughout - but of course!)

birthday-day arrived

I had plans to attend the wedding of very  dear theatre friends in wine country, which also caught fire the night before. thank goodness for instant messaging ... I was able to finally communicate with some of the wedding party, and so headed up the road for the 3 hour trip to the venue. funny back story ... since my little beetle is very old and I don't make her drive long distances any more, I arranged to rent a small compact car to make the trip.  at the rental desk where I always go (they know me there :-)  ) I mentioned it was my birthday, so as a "present" the let me rent a beemer for the price of a compact! needless to say I arrived at the wedding venue in style! and such a dream to drive ... I could get used to this!

 

 
back to the wedding ... the venue was without power due to the fires, but was able to adjust things and provide a lovely - and safe - place to hold the ceremony and reception. because these were theatre peeps, the "crew" bought a generator and lots of lighting materials, and made the patio a fairy-tale dreamscape.

    

(I can be seen crying with joy in the picture on the right, upper right corner)

I had made a reservation to stay the night in Calistoga, but that area was under evacuation, so had to make alternate plans over the river and hills in Fairfield. I had a last dance with the groom, and then the bride, and left the reception to drive down the deserted highway whose traffic lights were all dark - an eery drive to say the least - as ash continued to rain down, as it had all afternoon and evening.

(I can be seen in the bottom-left quadrant of this photo, under the groom's left elbow, as we boogie away)

The next morning: I had prepurchased a ticket to go a few miles away to do a photo safari - it was something Mama had wanted to do, and we didn't get to it before she passed.  I was going to channel my "inner Nana" and take my camera and get a couple hundred pictures, as she would have done :-)

sadly they were also evacuating people from the fire, and had sent me an email saying they would refund my ticket price. guess I will have to do this at a later date (and hopefully it would be there for me to do that!)  instead of a safari, I changed my plan to go to the Jelly Belly Factory. Joyce and I did this one of our birthdays, so I knew it would be fun. when I awoke and turned on the news, it was saying there may be evacuations in Fairfield, so again I changed my plans, drank weak hotel-room-coffeemaker coffee, and scrammed out of the hotel to get home as quickly as possible. after a 3-hour drive through rush hour traffic and a really nasty (possible fatality) accident, I got to San Jose, and stopped to get breakfast - actually brunch - at a relatively new breakfast-only spot I've been wanting to try.  ahhh!  now to decide what to do for the rest of the day that was supposed to be a safari. the Rosicrucian Museum is closed Mondays and Tuesdays so that was out. ever widening the online map - aha! I want to do that too!!

I pointed the beemer south, and headed into the foothills (an hour-long drive over winding roads at 20-30 miles an hour the whole way). I had been driven up this road only one other time, by a classmate after our high school graduation ceremony. this place always held mystery to us. it was an air force base shrouded in cold war secrecy. there also lived a "mean old man" who would shoo people off the property.  now I can access it as an open park preserve. so here I am at the 'blue cube' after hiking up a mountain of stairs to get here.

from this vantage point you can see for miles. I could see the smoke from the fires I had just left. I could see lots of lovely hiking that I was not prepared to do (but I did bring water, so I wasn't completely daft!) after wandering around and reading some of the history and preservation information, I took "the long way back down" as recommended by Ranger Ted, and followed one of the hiking trails back to the parking lot. spectacular views everywhere! by this time it was time to return the rental car. to say the least these last two days would be an adventure I doubt I'll ever forget.

Simchat Torah - the Joy of having the Torah to guide, teach and uplift us. I wasn't planning on attending the service this year, knowing that I would be coming back from birthday activities (and I didn't want to over-commit and disappoint people). my plan however is nothing compared to His Plan. mid-afternoon of Simchat Torah I got a text asking me to read a verse - in Hebrew of course! so I looked up my Portion - thank goodness for the internet - and did my preparation with a joyful heart! I was needed! The service was lovely, the celebration was joyful, and I read from our older, smaller Torah (with extremely small print!) - this special Torah which was a Polish "refugee" from the Holocaust. a joy in itself.

 

Janet, Joyce and I made a quick trip up to the ancestral cemetery in Washington where we caught up with our cousins and aunt, as well as placed some of Mama's ashes with her parents.