j u n e

started out the month painting again. my first choice was a painting called glam-mingo (a glamorous flamingo) but the session was cancelled. sadly. I replaced it with a lovely seahorse painting, because the ocean is also a great subject. that event was cancelled too, literally 3 days before the event. harsh words were shared with the event coordinators, and a third attempt succeeded ... I painted this lovely impressionist serene lake.

   I N   M E M O R I A M
after having a fall and having another pair of brain bleeds, my mom, who lived 86-and-a-half full, rich and blessed years, on June 18 went home to be with Our Lord to live eternally in a perfect form. While we will miss her, we know we will all meet again for eternity.  Her Celebration of Life will be held in August.

while it was a sad occasion that brought her here, Joyce flew up to spend time with her Nana during the last 3 days. and I got to see my baby again, after nearly a year and a half! it was so wonderful to have her stay with me Friday through Monday. hidden blessings among the sorrow.

m a y

spent mothers day with Nana, which made for some bad parking at the facility, but she's worth it. our band concert was the Monday before Memorial Day, and it went very well; Janet and I had a couple of duet-solos that - I must say - sounded awesome! [I took the afternoon off before it, and saw Janet perform with her string ensemble as well, which was lovely!] I saw three talented ladies at Tabard, The Blues Sisters. so tremendous to be able to hear great live music! also had an opportunity to brush with fame.... met the fabulously funny Will Durst, thanks to Janet since she bought the tickets before she knew she would be travelling during this time.

a p r i l

ready for spring and lots of outdoor activities! caught the Sunnyvale production of The Drowsy Chaperone with many of our theatre friends. always one of my favorite shows to see. Janet swapped her ticket and we both ended up seeing The Musical of Musicals the Musical together. my first time seeing this one, but it definitely won't be my last, as it is a very clever, very funny show! sang (twice) and read at Temple.  spent Easter Sunday with Mama, enjoying the specially prepared meal they had there. don't know how many more of these we'll have, so I take advantage. at work, I had not one but three Admin Week celebrations (a return to the old days!) my team took me out, our division did something for our larger group, and the site had a "tea party" for all the admins locally.  made us all feel so nice!

m a r c h

bad weather finally tapered off. got to see some shows too!  several theatre friends were in a production of Cemetery Club, a funny and moving play about tradition and the survival of friendship against great odds. my company was instrumental in creating some really amazing technical wizardry for one of the bard's best plays, The Tempest, and a performance of the stage production was filmed, and I got to see the film! which was tremendous!!  had to drive all the way down to Santa Cruz, which was the nearest venue for this one-night-only opportunity, but it was worth it. and Joyce told me I needed to see the newest live action version of our favorite movie, Beauty & the Beast, so I made a point of catching that in the theatre (in 3-D) before it had moved on.

had another opportunity to do a (discounted!) painting night, where I created this lovely, serene beach scene:

at work, one of the attorneys asked me to make a presentation highlighting the importance of one of my key daily tasks, and the presentation was to the exec admins who work in the C-suite!  I was nervous and excited to have the opportunity to address them, especially about something so critical to their work as well as mine.  gold star for the day!  I got to present it again, along with my coworkers, as a subsection of our greater work product to our attorneys.  that presentation was well received also. I got compliments from several people after each, which proved that those presentations were indeed memorable and useful.

got to sing at Temple twice; once was with one of my most favorite singing partners, who will be moving to Nevada, so this was a "last chance" worship service.

band practice started up again, and Janet and I will again sit side-by-side playing our French Horns! Yay!! was up for Jury Duty, but waited all week (literally until 11 am Friday!) to find that I wasn't selected. thankfully since work and the courthouse are so close, I was able to work the whole time - no time off necessary to make sure I make it in by the deadline. Hamilton is going to be performing soon in the City, and I can't afford a ticket, but there is a lottery going on that I definitely took advantage of!

f e b r u a r y

time for the not so super football weekend. not only did our team not make it past 2 and 14, but the rotten Cheat-riots are at this bowl. I'm only watching for the commercials.

got to see several friends in 1776 again, and like ours, it was cast gender-neutral, so some of their mens' roles were played by women. One of my favorite directors directed it, and he gave some familiar scenes some new staging so it was a joy to watch and see what would happen next!  also got to see the filmed presentation of a live performance of the Broadway musical Newsies which I just loved!!  if the DVD ever becomes available, I will buy it!  also saw - not once but twice (both casts) - the junior production of Sunnyvale's Shrek which was most adorable! tremendous performances and very cute costumes.

2 0 1 7 . . . j a n u a r y

and it all begins anew....

spent the long new years weekend moving more of my stuff out of the big storage unit, in hopes that I can knock that grande payment out of my monthly budget.  luckily one of my coworkers, who is a generous soul, helped me move the most huge boxes up the stairs.  before the end of the month it was all disbursed to my apartment, to good will organizations and to a much smaller/cheaper unit to be more easily financially managed going forward. whew!

in between moving boxes, I was able to sing one weekend and read another weekend at Temple. always a blessing!

sadly, our Queen of Hearts (who captured our hearts) from last summer's Alice passed away from the complications of her many infirmities. many of the cast attended her funeral/memorial which was such a testament to how strong her spirit was and how far her reach past the boundaries of her wheelchair.  so inspirational!!

at work, I had the opportunity to meet up with a globetrotter who is in town to play over the weekend!

#15

at the movies, I went to see the new movie about the Space Coast and the women who made it possible, Hidden Figures.  what an amazing story! I know I cry at movies, but this one is such a feel-good we-are-amazing well done presentation!!

d e c e m b e r

highlights of 2016

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

january

     spent lots of time with Mama watching football; sadly our team wasn't in the playoffs.  Joyce got a new puppy, but since she's still in Arizona, I only get to see her in social media.  saw two friends - Doug and Larry - in And Then There Were None playing the roles that Kermit and I played in our version Ten Little Indians way back in the fall of 1977.  caught the world premier of Swift Justice, a tale of vigilante justice that occurred right here in SJ. 

february 

     the chef/owner of my first restaurant job opened a new bistro in my neighborhood, so I went there to dine, to see him and catch up!  watched the super ball game with Mama, and her team won!  I started all the activity that is involved in moving.  I found an apartment that is about two miles from work, so an easy commute.  painted another flamingo at another Paint Nite.  saw some young performers in the comedy Drowsy Chaperone.  used Janet's ticket to go see our local Jazz band - front row cabaret seating!  saw two friends in the 2-person show I Do, I Do - - delightful! 

march

     more moving, unpacking - it seems like a never-ending process.  was honored with the rarely read Torah portion for leap year.  our event organizers at work brought in a professional photographer so our attorneys could get updated head shots.  we admins were allowed to participate as well, so I now have a wonderful new headshot with my current hairdo.  saw many friends at Mulan Jr. at our home theatre.  

april

     attended a work proximity event at a wine bar in the foothills.  read and sang at Temple several times while much of our congregation and leadership were in Israel.  saw several shows:  Les Miserables with the students at my high school; a staged reading of Diary of Anne Frank; another production of Crowns, which I will always try to see; and Billy Elliot, because my employer bought out all the seats for this performance!  

may

     Janet and I spent Mothers Day with Mama.  another work proximity event took us to our local soccer team's new stadium.  went to see a local band play in a small venue.  the lead singer even asked me to sing with him on one song!  neither Janet nor I performed with our band this season, but I went to see the concert anyway.  fabulous to be able to watch the Indy 500 and the Washington DC Memorial Day Concert in my own apartment!  

june

     read and sang at one service at Temple.  was requested to be a mentor with the summer youth program at my "2nd home" theatre.  I will be playing sister Mathilda and the Caterpillar in Disney's Alice in Wonderland Jr.

july

     enjoyed two days off from work for the Fourth, and spent it getting my apartment more in order.  got to sing at Temple with some of my favorite musicians.  rehearsals ended and we held our performances for Alice.  it was such a wonderful experience not only mentoring these young talented people, but also being back on stage.  our interactions with the audience were special too. 

august

     my ops manager at work asked me to join her at the Barbra Streisand concert, since she knew I would enjoy it with her more than her hubby would!  joined over 2,000 women - and men - dressed as Rosie the Riveter to break a Guinness record.  our friends Ritchard and Michelle got married! 

september

     volunteered to do voice-over for e-readers at a work charity activity.  sang at Temple twice.  still spending a lot of time moving from storage and unpacking.  watched a production of Spring Awakening at our home theatre.  

october

     Joyce didn't join me but we were connected over text.  flew to LA and rented a car.  first went to San Juan Capistrano, which was on my bucket list.  went to see the play Billy & Ray at the Laguna Playhouse.  went to Hollywood and strolled on a lot of the Walk of Fame.  took a drive on Sunset Blvd.  went to the Hudson Theatre and got to see Going, Going, Gone, and to meet the playwright!  spent a day at Disney, getting preferential birthday treatment as an Ana at the Frozen live show.  rested up for a day and saw Magnificent Seven in a darkened theatre - my eyes had been sunburned the day before, even though I'd been wearing a hat.  for Birthday Dinner I went to a childhood favorite that has very few locations now, Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour.  I had made my reservation a month ago to be sure I could dine on My Day.  the next day I was back at The Park where I saw the Soarin' Over The World, plus rode the soon to be closed Tower of Terror.  yes, I got the T-shirt this time.  the next day I was mostly in The Original Park, enjoying a Monte Cristo sandwich and mint julep, and the many attractions we'll never tire of.  even stood in line to meet Minnie!  went back one more time on my final day in LA, to cruise downtown D, and ride the monorail.  on the way to the airport I stopped at the former Crystal Cathedral and walked through the gardens.  the building is closed and being renovated.  safely back home I went to see the touring company production of Memphis! in our performing arts center, and the ice show Disney on Ice at our hockey arena; plus our friend Aaron was playing the lead in Music Man, so I had to see that! 

november

     had an interesting karaoke/baseball experience that led to me singing five songs!  did another Paint Nite, of a sliver of a moon over a forest.  made my first Thanksgiving dinner in my own apartment.  saw friends in productions of Edith Stein and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. 

december

     went to see Janet play in our band's holiday concert.  saw a youth created production called A Dickens of a Mash-up.  and while it wasn't opening weekend, I did go see Moana on the big screen. 

     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 6

ahh, the busy-ness of the holidays! went to see an adorable premier production called A Dickens of a Mash-up written by some of the young performers in our community. it was thoroughly enjoyable, and good to see some of my fellow performers from previous productions too! Janet performed in the Holiday Concert with "our band" again, and even though I wasn't playing this season, I was there in the audience to enjoy the music. and I finally made it to the movie theatre to see Moana, which has been out for a month already! such a wonderful story, great music, awesome animation! yes, I will be buying that dvd and soundtrack :-)