Sunday Stealing

I haven't done one of these in awhile, so thought I'd do a spot of Sunday Stealing....  More stuff you probably didn't know (or care) about me!

What was your first alcoholic drink? 

• I was about 20 and we went to a Christmas party at Mike's boss's home.  I had never had any kind of drink, so when asked what I wanted to drink, I asked for what my dad always had....a 7&7.  I was seriously sick the whole night.

What was your first job? 

• While in college, I worked part-time in a Kresge's 5&10 (it was the same company that later started K-Mart).  I worked one of the check-out registers and was  quickly promoted to work in the office totaling up the day's receipts and counting the cash.  Me and numbers!  Right, they had no idea the chance they were taking!!  :)

What was your first car? 

• In the early 70s I got a 1967 Corvair convertible. 

What did you do on your first date? 

• Went to a movie in the afternoon with David F.  I don't even remember what it was, but I wore a yellow dress!  He was also my first grown-up kiss but that was a couple of years later!

What is your first proper memory? 

•  I remember the house we lived in when I was 3, my 4th Birthday party and the dress I was wearing.

Who was your first teacher? 

• I had Sister Regina for both 1st and 2nd grade, she seemed very, very old, but she was a good teacher and she like me.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

• Oh, that's easy....a little town in central Florida called Lake Wales.  It will always be home!

Where did you go on your first ride on an airplane? 

• I think it was from Chicago to L.A.

Who was your first best friend? 

• Janie T. and we're still in touch (thanks, Facebook!)

What was your first detention for? 

• I was never in trouble in school....I was a very good little girl.

What's your strongest sense? 

• My emotions, hands-down

Who was your first kiss? 

• Should I count Buddy Young in 1st grade??

What was the first film you remember seeing at the cinema?

• "The Wizard of Oz", I got scared when the house fell on the witch, started screaming and we had to leave! 

What's the largest amount of money you've ever won? 

• Won?  Won???   I don't win ANYTHING, much less money!

What's the largest amount of money you've spent in one spree? 

• I don't spend a lot on myself at any one time, couldn't have been more than a $200-300 tops

If you had a warning label, what would yours say? 

• Caution, Volatile Substance, Handle with Care!

Have you ever got sweet revenge on anyone? 

• Oh yes, but I can't write about it! It was Very satisfying :)

 Have you ever been to a live concert? 

• Of course, many, many.  I've performed in concerts as well.  Seen lots of personalities in concert, only two "rock" concerts though...Air Supply and  Paul McCartney about 30 years apart.

Have you ever been to see stand up comedy? 

• Sure, no one famous though.

Have you ever needed stitches??  

• Unfortunately yes, badly cut two fingers on my left hand at work one day.  Still have the scars too.

"Nights On Broadway"

Theater is a night time thing!.  Honestly it is.  The vast majority of all type of performance art takes place at night.  "Nights on Broadway" start with an 8:00 pm curtain.  This has been so for decades and decades, even centuries.  

It is too hard to create illusion while the sun is up.  The sleight of hand that occurs when creating the illusion of a reality on the stage requires dark and shadows and mystery.  The wrong kind of light will expose all the little tricks and illusion for what they are....make believe.  In daylight a costume that sparkles and gleams under the lights of performance, will be revealed to be a bit shabby, kind of tacky, and no longer beautiful.  You might see the tears and patches of a well-used costume, the repairs made with thread that doesn't quite match, the safety pin that replaces a missing button. Things that are invisible under stage light, become glaringly obvious in the bright light of day.   The walls of a seemingly impenetrable fortress will be revealed to be nothing more than cleverly painted flats or even  Styrofoam or cardboard.  Anytime you try to create a set, a character, a costume, or a situation that seems real but really isn't, you are asking for a huge suspension of disbelief from everyone in the audience.  The audience sits in the darkened theater with stage light directed only where it helps the illusion.  The stage pops into reality, but the rest of the space visible to the audience remains completely dark and quietly disappears.

There are, of course, performances that are matinees, but those performances are always in a theater just as dark as it would be at an 8:00 show.  The theater staff must completely block out any source of natural light that might spill into the theater and detract from the illusion on the stage. For the performers, leaving the theater after a show and emerging into bright daylight can be disconcerting at best.  We do it to maximize audiences and revenue, but most actors don't like it.  It just feels wrong.  The energy level is off.  The reactions of the audience are usually diminished and the whole experience just doesn't feel quite right.

Most of the time rehearsals are done at night as well; at least in the area of volunteer, community theater entities.  Mostly this is because the cast and crew all have "real jobs" and a "real life" which take place in the daytime.  There are times when the luxury of a nighttime rehearsal is just not possible and we suck it up and make do with an afternoon rehearsal.  But a certain number of night time rehearsals are really essential to take advantage of all the benefits of the night that allows the creation of that illusion.

What theater does not do well is mornings!   It is just wrong in every possible way.  Most theater people seem to be night owls, so mornings are their least favorite times of day.  Not only do you not have good energy, your creativity, coordination, attention span, voice, agility, timing, and memory is just not there either!

And the absolute WORST thing is having a rehearsal scheduled early in the day for an energetic musical with lots of dance!

Like the one I had today....that required an 8:00 AM rise (after only 5 hours sleep), a 20 minute drive to the rehearsal space, for a start time of 9:00 AM and lasting until 12:00 Noon!!!

Really, that just sucks!  I'm lucky I didn't fall off the stage and break my neck!

9:00 AM, indeed!    Honestly, the things I do for love of theater!   lol!

"Breaking Up Is Hard to Do"

I will never understand why it is so hard to start a good habit, break a bad habit, or re-start a good habit that you broke!   Changing any behavior pattern is never easy.  Like change in any relationship, "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do!"

For the last several weeks I have had lots of things to write about but somehow I just haven't been able to get back to writing.  For instance:

*  We have a brand new roof that turned out great; but we're still waiting for approval on the deck replacement and addition of the pergola.  The urgency is somewhat mitigated by the weather, it's been a lot cooler, not always good outdoor weather for me.  Maybe it will get done in time for Spring!  Maybe!

*  I'm in rehearsal for "Side by Side by Sondheim," a musical review of Sondheim's early works.  Having a  really good time with it.  This is the first musical I have done since moving to Austin!  That's 13 years!!  New group of nice people, makes all the difference!

*  In the early stages of discussion of establishing a new theater group with two very good friends!

My baby,
the world traveler!

*  Ratchlet went to Shanghai, China representing UT in discussions about a cultural exchange of some type!  She was gone for a week, had a "fabulous" time, but is still suffering from jet lag even though she's been home for almost 3 days.

*  Neither Ratchlet nor I nor Mikey was able to attend M-t-G's first band concert this year.  First one I've missed.  So sorry, sweetie!  I hope it went really well!  I won't miss the rest!!

*  After my trip (see below), I returned to a house with no kitchen sink or water, partially torn up counter tops and a mess. It's a big project and I knew Mike would be working on it, so it didn't come as a huge shock. I hope that it won't take a millennium to finish, but I have lived through Mikey's projects before.  It will take longer than he expected, be more work than he hoped for, but will be gorgeous in the end.

*  And the piece de resistance??  I went to a multi-class High School reunion that was just the best trip ever!  Saw and reconnected with so many old friends, met some spouses, caught up on nearly 50 years of history, ate, danced, laughed, talked, hugged, and generally had a wonderful time. I was even able to spend a bit of time with the mother of one of my old friends.  She is 90 years old, very much present, and still  a hoot.  What a dear lady, I've always loved her.   Through the extreme generosity of my oldest best friend forever, Flossie, I stayed in her lovely new home with a beautiful view of the lake the town is named after.

My good friend , Bart A,  he and I danced and danced.

It was going home for me and made me realize yet again how much I love that town and especially so many of the people in it! I'm still feeling sad that one of the best experiences of my life is over. Again, the memories will have to serve! I'll never forget it and I'll always love the special people I saw. Lake Wales NEVER lets me down!!

I'm sure there are other things that have happened since my last post, but this is a start.

So here it is, Resolution #375  to Start Writing Again.  I will get back to this. I will!  Really!!  (I hope.)

"If"

Have you ever read a book to your children or grandchildren called, "If You  Give A Mouse A Cookie"?   It's a great little book about how even the simplest things can get complicated before you know it.  If you give a mouse a cookie, he'll want a glass of milk, but you have no milk, so you'll need to go to the store.  When you get home you'll find that all of your glasses are too big for the mouse to hold, so you'll need to find a little glass and.....whatever.  And it goes on and on.  It's very cute.

I have come to the conclusion that that book is really an introduction to home ownership.  "Huh??"  you say. Really, it's true!  I'll prove it to you....

We had some hail damage to our roof a couple of years ago and the roof needs to be replaced.  Okay, that happens.  Not great news, but not horrible either.  With the interest rates down so low, the decision to replace the roof became a decision to re-finance the house..  Because we are in a good equity situation with the house that led to a decision to take out money for the re-roof rather than finance it separately.

While we were looking at the roof, we were reminded that the deck needs replacing too and that project could be folded into the re-fi.  And I've always wanted a pergola for our completely open and uncovered deck.  If we are replacing the deck (which is neither very large nor multi-leveled), it would only make sense to add in the pergola at the same time if it isn't cost prohibitive.

Okay, we've got a plan!  Okay, time to get the bids....Okay, got the bids...Now for the okay on the re-fi.....Okay we got the re-fi....Now we have to get the HOA approval....Once we get that, we're good to go.  So we're getting closer to actually getting started on the roof.

While we were waiting for all that, we decided to go ahead and replace our garbage disposal.  It was 20 years old and recently gave up the ghost.  So....we were in Home Depot looking at disposals and the Big Guy said, "You know, if you ever wanted to get a different kitchen sink, this would be the time."  Really?  Well, of course, I've wanted to get a new sink that was deeper that the 7 in deep sink we have now!  So we bought a disposal....and a sink.   And then Mikey said, "You know, if you ever wanted to replace the old Formica counter top, this would be the time."  Really??  Really???  So we're looking at new counter top materials.  No decisions on that yet, but I bet we'll find something soon!  Mikey will do those projects himself, so they are not as costly as they might be otherwise.

And you know, with the new sink and the new counter tops, and the pretty view of the new deck and pergola outside the windows of the kitchen......this would be the perfect time to do something to update the cabinets....paint and new hardware maybe??  Oh and the lighting fixture will then look even more dated than it does now.

No, No, don't even look at the wood flooring!   Really, NO, don't look....that flooring covers not only the kitchen, it also runs into the family room  and down the hall to the front door area.  DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!  Hmmm,  I hear bamboo flooring is nice......NO NO NO NO NO!

So you see...."If you give a mouse a cookie...."

"Little Sister" Part II

Finally the day came!  My little sibling was ready to be born!  We were ready too.  Couldn't wait to meet him or her..... Mom and Daddy went off to the Hospital and I spent the bulk of the day waiting with our good friend Mrs. L.   I don't remember exactly how long a wait there was, but it seemed like days!!

Daddy promised to call when there was news and he did!  WE HAD A NEW BABY!  Mom was okay and baby was okay and oh, by the way, I had a new little.......SISTER!!!   YAY!   I was dancing and yelling and jumping up and down.  My very own little sister, Debra Ann, had arrived.

I'm sorry to say I don't remember when I first saw her or got to hold her.  I know mom and the baby were in the Hospital for a couple of days, which was pretty standard.  I know Daddy took me to the hospital to peek into the nursery and there she was.  A little blonde-headed, blue-eyed, cutie who looked exactly like....nobody!  I was disappointed, I wanted a little carbon-copy of me.  She didn't look like me, or mom, or daddy!  At a couple of days old, to me she just looked like all the other babies in the world!  I didn't realize until I was actually able to hold her when she came home, that it takes a bit of one on one time to begin to see beyond the "baby-dom" and begin to see the little person.

As soon as I held her I fell head over heels in love with this precious bundle!  As I recall she didn't cry much and was a pretty happy baby mostly.  After that first couple of days when she still looked kind of squished and red and a little on the skinny side like all newborns, all of a sudden she blossomed and she was gorgeous!! Really!

I was fascinated by this little miracle.  It was like a training school for how to take care of a baby.  I watched and learned and was little like a second mom.  I loved to hold her and sing to her.  She would let me hold her for along time in the rocker on the back porch as long as I was singing.  I think it was probably our best bonding time.


As she got a little older she really was an adorable little girl, her pretty blond hair like a cloud of gold around her face.  She began to become her own person and I spent a lot of time with her.  I played with her and helped her and read to her and she would stick to me like glue, following me around whatever I was doing.

But the reality is that she was 12 years younger than I.  That's a pretty big gap.  As she started school, I was already in college!  She was in 2nd grade when I got married, so we never had the true sister to sister experiences of growing up together.  She was a part of my life, but before long I had a baby of my own and a life separate from hers.

Her life experiences were so different than mine, other than having the same parents, we had very few similarities in our childhoods.  She grew up in the urban environment of a big city, I was a small town girl.  She lived in one place from age 6 or 7 until she was finished with college and got married.  I moved more times than I could count and lived in multiple different towns.  She went to Catholic school all the way through high school.  I was in public schools from 7th grade on.  She went away to college and I went to a "commuter" school.  She chose a profession (Pharmacist) and stayed in school through a five year degree program.  I never finished college.  I was married at age 19 and a mother at age 20.  She married after college and didn't have kids until she was about 26 (I think, its hard to remember exactly.)   I've been married forever, she is now divorced.

Our personalities are different too.  She will avoid conflict whenever possible, I am confrontational.  I liked the pink cats, she like the blue but wouldn't SAY so!  (This is an inside joke just for Little Sis!)  I have rarely seen her angry, I am angry half the time!  She has a wicked sense of humor that pops out at just the right moment.  A lot of people don't even know when I am joking!  However, she always gets my jokes and she can make me laugh at the drop of a hat. I tend to want to talk everything to death, while she holds things in and doesn't go in for long conversations exploring her feelings or experiences.

She came home from college to see me in a show!
Circa 1980

When she first went away to college, I began to see what a great person she was as an adult.  I knew that we were on our way to being best friends forever!   I have always been extremely proud of her, she is a good person, a loving sister, a great caregiver, and a person I like very much.

But our lives continued to take us in different directions.  She and her family moved to Phoenix, then the Big Guy and I moved to California and then to Texas.  Although we talked on the phone frequently, we wouldn't actually see each other for years at a time.  Even now we see each other only sporadically.  It's been a year and a half since the last time we were together.  Her kids are grown, close to fully achieving their career goals and it looks very much as if they will settle in Colorado and Washington.  Once they are set, I'm pretty sure my little sis will head to one of those states permanently.  It's what parents do these days.  So yet again, we are doomed to be in different places.  These days, emails and Facebook are our main mode of communication.

Little Sis and her children, Matthew and Christina

Tomorrow my "Little Sister" will reach her 55th birthday. It's hard to think of my baby sister being that age. (But then it's hard to think of being MY age!)  Despite all our differences, we still are alike in many other ways, But our lives have been different.  We have different interests, different experiences, and different desires.  Those 12 years have never become completely irrelevant.  I struggled with bridging the gap.  I always wanted to be best friends forever but the years and the paths we took never quite allowed that to happen in the way that I wanted.

I realize though, that being best friends forever has never really  been a realistic goal.  We both have several great friends, a couple of which are even considered to be "best friends."  The reality is that we each only have one sister.  She is the only person who has known me all of her life,  the only person who loves me as unconditionally as only a sister can, the only person who shares our family history, and the only person who understands what that means.  She's my Little Sis and I will love her and be grateful for her and for everything she has brought to my existence all the days of her life.  I miss her and wish we were able to enjoy each other's company more often, but I know that we share a mutual admiration, pride, love, and caring unlike any other relationship in our lives.  She's my Lil' Sis and I am her Big Sis and nobody could ever change that.  A best friend forever??  Nah, she is something far better, she is my SISTER.

My poor wounded Lil Sis!
She's been dealing with that broken wrist for nearly two years!!!

Happy Birthday Deb!  I hope you have as wonderful day as you deserve!!  Wish I was there to sing you Happy Birthday in person!