Proud

Benjamin came home yesterday with some really great news. He's been chosen Cub of the Month for April!

Sarah was Cub of the Month 6 times during elementary school (that's every year but one...and that one year we were really surprised). Joshua has been Cub of the Month a couple times as well. But Ben...this is his second time. And really, I couldn't be prouder.

Mic tape and other randomness

I love doing shows! This show is especially fun...I'm not overwhelmed with emotion, I'm not trying not to throw up, I'm not crazily trying to find my back up cd. I get to go out on stage, sing and dance for a little bit, smile like crazy, hit a couple of indians and then head back off stage. Good times!

I'm not crazy about mic tape. I know it's absolutely necessary and I appreciate it's effectiveness. But, does it's effectiveness have to show up on the back of my neck days after the tape itself is gone?

My cast has been playing card games in the green room. I love this! Everyone thinks I'm really competitive, and I agree with them, but what they don't realize is that I'm not cheating or even playing cutthroat strategy. I'm just playing smart. For example: last night we played spoons. I play by keeping my head down and watching the spoons. I rarely look at the cards as they go by. I won't ever win...but I'll always come in second.

The three shows on Saturday was a great learning experience for me. I remembered all the words to "Fame", I learned that I'm not the only one who danced like a freak in the 80's, I realized that the other cast is a lot noisier than mine. Oh well. I also learned that I'm capable of pulling a performance out of thin air.

We had lots of technical difficulties last night. Annie's mic went out, Sitting Bull's mic went out, lights came up too soon, the little train got kicked over...just one of those nights. I did my part to help get things back on track. Annie had to change her mic as well as her costume during my indian scene, which is a very short scene by the way, and so...I improvised. Just slightly, not anything really long, just enough to to give her maybe 30 - 45 seconds more time to change. Yeah for me! Thank you, OBT!

The warm weather has been a balm to my soul. My tulips have bloomed. I wore capris yesterday. I want to bask in the sunshine. Too bad it's going away tomorrow.

My kids are crazy! I love them all the more for it!

I did vocal warm ups eight times yesterday. Kelly once said that doing warm ups is what music teachers hate the most, and he would be right. At least in my case. So, I'm thinking that on Wednesday, when I have to do warm ups for the cast, that I'll take my book that has "I Am Not Wearing Underwear Today". I wonder if the cast will like that? I wonder if any of them will even know it?

Here's hoping for a great day!

Unconnected

David is blogging for me at work.

My internet connection is down.

I feel very unconnected from the world.

How did I make it through the 80's?

P.S. This post brought to you by David's stumbling fingers.

The Best Laid Plans...

...went out the window when my double told me she has pneumonia.

Yes, that means I did three shows yesterday.

No ballet.

No dinner with my kids.

Just a day in Hale.

Schedule

Today's schedule:

• Solo and ensemble festival
• Annie Get Your Gun performance
• finish Relief Society lesson
• Swan Lake

I wonder if I'll get a meal sometime today.

Cornbread

Sometimes I hate the weather in Utah. Just when I start to think that it's going to be warm and sunny...BAM! It snows. It could be thought that since I've lived in Utah most of my life that I would be more prepared for days like that than I really am. I don't deal well with sudden spring snow. It makes me so sad. The only thing I can ever think to do about it is make soup. So, yesterday for dinner we had taco soup.

I made the mistake of mentioning to David that I had thought about making cornbread, but had since changed my mind. David understands how much I dislike making cornbread, which is really strange when I stop and think about it, but Joshua doesn't. And Joshua loves cornbread. Not surprisingly, when he heard me mention cornbread he got all excited about it. But I didn't want to make it (is the whine fully evident?).

At this point a random thought crossed my mind. "Wouldn't it be great if Joshua could make his own cornbread?" I think this is a great goal. If my kids can learn how to cook, maybe I won't have to cook to often! Then another thought, not so random this time, went through my mind, "I've taught Sarah to cook...why not start teaching Joshua by having him make cornbread for dinner?" So we did.

Joshua did most of the work, with me working on the soup at the same time. He measured everything. He mixed everything. He learned that dry ingredients go first, mix them well, then add the wet ingredients. He learned that there are different types of measuring cups, dry ones and wet ones. He learned that three teaspoons makes one tablespoon. He's still figuring out how to crack eggs...well, the cracking part he has down. It's the opening part he's struggling with. He learned that shortening comes in many different forms: butter, margarine, oil, shortening. As it turns out, cornbread is a great recipe for a kid to start learning to cook.

I learned something from this: my kids are smarter and more willing than I give them credit for. Maybe I should let them do things like make cornbread more often. It turned out great...bonding time followed by yummy dinner. Everybody wins.

twerp talk

Ella informed me last night that she is a twerp.

None of us were very surprised.

Still, when we tried to get her to say it again, this time on video for posterity, she hummed and hawed and generally behaved...like a twerp.

This morning when she came and cuddled next to me in bed I said, "Good morning, twerp." She answered me, "Good morning, Mama."

It's a relief to know that she knows that she is a twerp. It saves all sorts of time.

List

Ella watches "Bye Bye Birdie"...a lot.
I feel lousy this morning, like I have a cold or allergies.
I love lunches!
I definitely need to work on my Relief Society lesson.
David made bread last night.
How many things can I plan for one night? Three and counting.
I don't know if I'm going to audition for the next show.
There's a storm coming in...my head can tell.
Ben and Josh are arguing again.
I read "The Raven" this morning.
Gilmore Girls is a great show.
Rachael suddenly came to mind.
My earbuds have a short in them. Dang!!!
The Bike Ride is coming up fast.
I wonder just how damaged my foot is?
Cat leaves next week Friday.
Sarah's ballet is this weekend.
It's a small world.
Today seems like a good day to just stay in bed.

I got tagged

Here's the rules of this tag.

Write 5 habits or facts about yourself. At the end of your blog tag 5 people and write their names (everyone will know who is tagged! Ooooooooo.) Go to their blogs and leave them a comment that tells them you've tagged them and that more information is available on your blog. (They'll think you actually read their blog and be thrilled, then find out it's all a shameless ploy to get them to read yours.)

1. I'm addicted to new clothes.
2. I like to play solitaire just before turning out the light at bedtime.
3. In a pinch I can sing soprano, I just choose not to.
4. Purple may be my favorite color, but I own more pink shirts.
5. I almost always put my left shoe on first.

I tag Rachael, Shauna, Crystal, Sarah and Esther.

Routine

Hopefully in every production, whether it be big or small, there comes a point where the performers find themselves in a routine. The dances are learned, the songs are learned, all of the entrances are down. The costume changes don't seem so daunting, everyone knows when someone else is going to need help. This doesn't mean the performance itself is humdrum or lackluster, quite the opposite in fact. A routine performance can be shining and sparkly, because energy and excitement have also become part of the routine.

I think my cast reached that point last night.

I say this because the time we were on stage was fabulous, but once we were in the green room we could leave it, well, not quite behind us, but slightly off to the side. We played spoons and pigpen last night. Everyone laughed and joked around. As someone would have an entrance, someone else would pick up their hand and play for awhile. It was all very relaxed and enjoyable. And the show was great!

I want to reach this sort of routine in my life. I can't seem to get everything together to the point where I can just sit and play very often. I'm always running around trying to reach my next entrance in time (I hate being late!). The song and dance numbers in real life tend to belong to my children (I forgot my homework, I didn't think I needed to clean my room, I have piano today!...that general idea). And as for energy? HA! It gets sucked out of my eyeballs!

Finding the routine in real life takes a lot of time and cooperation (No, let's call it Shirley). I'm very hopeful that in the next 15 years I'll be able to get my life settled down, find that routine, make the show great!

Dreams

I had one of those dreams last night that clings to your mind after you've woken up and floats around in your consciousness all day long, but never with enough substance to make sense.

Strange...

Loss

I hate the part where I lose respect for someone that I really like.

Don't get me wrong...I still really like them.

I just don't respect them anymore.

A Poem by William Blake

The Little Black Boy

William Blake

My mother bore me in the southern wild,
And I am black, but oh my soul is white!
White as an angel is the English child,
But I am black, as if bereaved of light.

My mother taught me underneath a tree,
And, sitting down before the heat of day,
She took me on her lap and kissed me,
And, pointed to the east, began to say:

"Look on the rising sun: there God does live,
And gives His light, and gives His heat away,
And flowers and trees and beasts and men receive
Comfort in morning, joy in the noonday.

"And we are put on earth a little space,
That we may learn to bear the beams of love
And these black bodies and this sunburnt face
Is but a cloud, and like a shady grove.

"For when our souls have learn'd the heat to bear,
The cloud will vanish, we shall hear His voice,
Saying, 'Come out from the grove, my love and care
And round my golden tent like lambs rejoice',"

Thus did my mother say, and kissed me;
And thus I say to little English boy.
When I from black and he from white cloud free,
And round the tent of God like lambs we joy

I'll shade him from the heat till he can bear
To lean in joy upon our Father's knee;
And then I'll stand and stroke his silver hair,
And be like him, and he will then love me.

Lovely Memory

I remember watching Anne of Green Gables (the really good, really long one) for the very first time. I loved it! So, I watched it again and again and again, and it came to define a certain portion of my life for me. My best friend was no longer my best friend, she was my bosom friend. We spoke of todays and tomorrows, sunbursts and marble halls, poetry and books, and all things romantic. It was a wonderful time in my life.


Flash forward 20 years (is it really 20? I am feeling really old right now!) and I've signed up for a daily dose of poetry. This morning I check my email, ready to read my short poem and head out into my day, when this appears:

"The Lady of Shalott"

Alfred Lord Tennyson

And I am suddenly transported back to the past when Carrie and I would gladly sit through eight hours of television (it was really entertaining) just to see one kiss. In fact, we did it about every other week. Carrie and Kelly were a couple (not my favorite situation), and our dreams of romance flourished. In spite of all the turmoil around us (applying for colleges, scholarships, graduation, friend drama, boyfriend drama, jobs, lack of jobs, parents, siblings, life as a senior in high school) we loved the peaceful portrayal of a gentle, and truly romantic, love.

My recommendation for today? Watch, or read (sometimes even better!) Anne of Green Gables. Revel in the language and the beauty of the scene. Transport yourself back in time (Somewhere in Time is much better for that *grin*) and think romantically for just a few minutes. You won't regret it.

A funny memory associated with this time and these people:

Carrie was sleeping over one night and we decided to go for a walk around the block. It was pretty late, it always was when we went for walks, and so we weren't expecting anyone to be awake, or come to think of it, maybe she did. Hmmm. Kelly lived just a few houses down the street from me (this is why I'm thinking she did) and they were currently dating. What a surprise! When we walked past Kelly's house, he was there. The three of us started talking, I turned away for a moment, turned back, and they were kissing! ARGH!

I screamed.

Loudly.

In the middle of the street.

Sometime close to midnight.

Let Me Pose a Question

If all my costume pieces are constructed using the same measurements, why is it that my pants fit with a couple inches to spare in the waist, but the ball gown makes me feel as if I gained 4 inches around my midsection?

or two

What happens to the fit on my pants when I'm dieting, crunching, stretching, tucking and working out to trim my waist so it will fit into the ball gown?

Evasion

Every year since we moved into this house David and I have gotten phone calls for H&R Block. These calls usually begin sometime in January and continue until the middle of April. I guess sometime many years back the phone number for H&R Block was misprinted in a phone book and came up as our number instead.

Anyway, over the last few years the phone calls have been dwindling, until last year there were only two or three. I'm not certain how I feel about this, because I always knew it was time to get started on my taxes when the people on the phone started asking, "Is this H&R Block?"

This year I got one phone call, and it was in January. I figured I was done. At least until yesterday about 7:30 pm when the phone rang.

Me: Hello?
Stupid Procrastinating Man: Uh.
Me: Hello?
SPM: Uh. Is this H&R Block?
Me: No. (In my mind..."You're going to be late!")
SPM: I guess I have a wrong number.

David and I got many laughs out of the stupid procrastinating man that is probably right now either very sleep deprived or freaking out about not getting his taxes finished in time.

The moral of this story? If you're late getting your taxes done, don't call me, I will mock you!

Satisfaction

Opening night proved to be a job well done.

Of course, a couple of things went wrong, they always do, but we handled it and went on, because that's what we do.

The audience was great! They were vocal and appreciative, and mostly over 60.

The sets were absolutely gorgeous...and kind of a surprise, even to the cast (we hadn't seen them finished yet).

In the end, I'm always glad to start performances as opposed to rehearsals. Less time away from home = more time with my kids.

New Light

I was very rudely awakened this morning at 5:00 am when the shower curtain in the kids bathroom fell down into the tub. (I don't know! It's really strange!) Still, it gave me some quiet time to think about things. Around 6:30 the light changed. It had been kind of a blueish color, but suddenly it became more yellow, and I knew there was no way I was going back to sleep.

Today, in this bright yellow spring light, I'm going to work harder. I'm going to listen to good music. I'm going to play with Ella (and Jacob and Drew). I'm going to smile more. I'm going to throw off these winter blues and find some sunshine in my soul.

After all, every day is new with no mistakes in it...yet.

Comment

I gained 4 pounds in the last 3 weeks. How depressing is that? Now my ball gown, which was fitted a month ago, doesn't fit right.

YEOUGH!!!!!

Dates and Times

Just a note:

I have not cheated at blogging every day. Blogger reads my computer one hour earlier than it really it, so when I post at 12:20 am, the computer thinks it's still 11:20 am.

Anyway, I changed the time, but I forgot to change the day.

Late...Early was on Friday morning.
Fun! was on Saturday morning.

But, I guess since I've blogged again, and it'll post for Saturday, I needn't have worried about it.

Fun!

It is so much fun when the people who are in the scene with you are just as willing as you are to go completely over the top. In the end, it's not over the top at all, it's just fun to do and fun to watch!

Late...Early

This is what I've been waiting for, and dreading, all week.

It's after midnight and I just got home. Which means, rehearsal got over about 15 minutes ago. I sat at the theater for 6 hours...and it wasn't my run through. Many, many, many little things went wrong and so many, many, many little things took time to fix.

But that's what tech week is for.

And so, I'll suck it up and try to get a little bit of sleep. I'll put on my smiley face and go to the theater tomorrow, or today as the case may be, geared up and ready to go. I will give the best performance I'm capable of and I will not complain.

After all, there's no business like show business!

Tech Week Thoughts

I am tired.

Gosh! I'm tired.

I am really tired.

Oh my heck! I cannot believe how tired I am.

Is it time for bed yet?

I wonder if I could take a nap in the green room.

There's not enough caffeine in this theatre to keep me awake one more minute, much less one more hour.

Blasted sun woke me up.

Loss of Courtesy

May I take a moment to get up on my soapbox and complain?

It began yesterday during my first lesson. The young lady had brought her cell phone with her. Can you see where this is going? Half way through warm ups her phone rings and she answers it! See, it wasn't a real phone call, it was just a text message. (Italics added) She then spent the next three or four minutes texting her friend, not to tell her to not call again because she was in a lesson, but that she could see her prom dress in about half an hour.

ARGH!

The worst part was that her mother, who pays for her lessons incidently, was sitting right there and didn't see anything wrong with it. I would be livid if I was paying for lessons for one of my children and they were wasting their time with their teacher by texting with their friends. What happened to common courtesy?

The second incident happened during rehearsal last night. We were being given instructions on proper use of the microphones, which I will acknowledge is very dry stuff, but very important, and the young lady next to me was, you guessed it!, texting her friends instead of paying attention!

When did we become so interconnected that we can't pay attention to what's going on around us?

I think I'm going to find a "no cell phones" sign, like the one Luke has in his diner and post it in my living room.

Sick Cow

I've been a little under the weather for the last couple of weeks. Actually, a couple of weeks ago I was really sick. David thought that sleeping with the vaporizer might help me. And it does help, quite a bit. So, for the last couple of weeks, we've been trying to keep the old girl running.

David's mom gave us this vaporizer when Sarah was a baby. Sarah is now twelve years old, and this vaporizer was not new when she bequeathed it to us. We've used it gratefully over the years, for colds and sniffles, ear infections and coughs, just about any respiratory ailment we can think of. It has worked well.

The last few nights when we've plugged it in, all we hear is this whine...

MMMRMRMMRMRRRRRRRMMRRM

David will bang on it a couple of times...

chug...chug...chug....chug...MMMRMMMRMMR

He'll spin the staff to try to get it going...

UHUHUHUHUHUH...MMRMRMRMMRMMR

He'll bang on it again...

BUMMBUMMMBUMMM...MRMRMRMMR

Eventually...

It works!

Crazy Week Ahead

It's tech week.

I'm thinking that I may not have a lot of extra energy or time this week.

And so what's the first thing I'm doing this morning? Giving blood.

I think I'm in for a crazy week.

Go Go Joe!

I took Ella to see a production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" at the Empress last night. She really enjoyed herself.

Well, let me qualify that.

She enjoyed herself whenever Cat was on the stage. It's a good thing that Cat is one of the narrators, because otherwise, it would have been a long show for a four year old.

I'm still too asleep to think coherently this morning.

The Story of Joshua's Song

It happened when Joshua was in preschool. Every Tuesday and Thursday I would pile my two boys into the van (Benjamin was in preschool, too, but on Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and we would head off towards Jacque's Preschool. Every Tuesday and Thursday, without fail, Drift Away would come on the radio. I love this song, and would always sing along with it. Pretty soon, Joshua started singing along with me. None of the other kids ever did, and it came to be known as Josh's and my song. It was our song. Even now, and it's been a few years, whenever I hear Drift Away on the radio, I think of Joshua!

Holiday!

Last night we took cast pictures. It always takes a lot longer than the director or photographer plans on. Always. And last night was no exception. Still, it was a lot of fun to finally wear the costumes and the wigs and have them influence your character.

My Indian wig is jet black, very long, and down up in one braid that swooshes over my shoulder. Hmmm. I wonder why that style looks so very familiar? Oh! That's right! It's exactly how my mom wears her hair all the time! Want to know something? I look just like my mom in my costume and wig. It was a little bit freaky for a minute, but cool after that.

With pictures taking so long, and the photographer still needing to clean up his equipment, the director decided to let us go early. I got home around 8:15. Sarah was shocked to me see. The rest of the kids didn't really care. I wonder what that means? Oh well. I was so glad to be at home with them at least one night this week.

What we teach our children

Late yesterday afternoon I was standing in the kitchen with Sarah and David. The conversation took a strange turn and before I knew it, I was singing "Gotta Dance!" from "Singing in the Rain".

Sarah knows the dance.

The entire dance.

*grins and giggles*

Butt Train or You Broke the Bop-It

This is a long rambling story about a gorgeous mother, her fascinating little sister and her stunning daughter.

Once upon a time these three took a trip to the tropical state of Hawaii. The time change wrecked all of their sleep patterns and the two beautiful women and the one darling girl got a little loopy. Nevertheless, they persevered in enjoying many and diverse activities which were made available to them by their wise, and quite beautiful herself, mother and grandmother. (She only fell when she was going down.)

One evening, somewhere around twilight, the grandmother announced a family gathering which the gorgeous mother, her fascinating little sister, and her stunning daughter would be expected to attend. The erstwhile travelers determined that such a gathering would indeed be a worthwhile and enjoyable experience.

And it was.

Somewhere in the course of events (chastisement by a drunk cousin, sushi that was really too warm, poi (yum!!!), and of course, dinner) the ladies found a corner away from the hub of activity, otherwise known as a quiet corner. In this quiet corner was a game known as Bop-It! It was broken, but still playable. They played it.

It was fun.

These quiet, genteel women, and the subdued young lady were not so quiet and genteel or subdued when they got going playing Bop-It. In fact, they got quite silly. But, as the rest of the gathering was also more raucous than a football game, no one noticed.

Emboldened by this seeming neglect, the three Bop-It players began quoting lines from a monumental television event, known to the enlightened world as "The Gilmore Girls". Their favorite quote that evening was "You broke the Bop-It!", but many other quotes followed in its wake.

The giggles started.

On a coffee table in the quiet corner, which was now not quite as quiet as it had been, were wooden farm animals. These animals clucked and mooed and oinked and begged to be played with. The three travelers heard the pleas of these poor animals and listened to them. They started lining them up in order of height. That didn't work so well because as the animals were lined up tallest to shortest the noses of the back animal would always end up right in the butt of the front animal.

That was unacceptable.

For obvious reasons.

In response to this dilemma, the gorgeous mother, her fascinating little sister stunning daughter lined the animals up from shortest to tallest.

It didn't matter.

The wooden animals really just wanted to put their noses into their neighbors butts.

The three tried many arrangements but the animals refused to do anything but sniff each others butts. This caused many fits of giggles and much outright laughter. The quiet corner was anything but quiet now.

In the end, these poor women set the animals exactly how they wanted to be...in a butt train. And then they laughed.

A lot.

And then they laughed some more.

A lot.

And then they started snorting.

And then the rest of the family started wondering what was going on in the quiet corner that was not even remotely quiet anymore.

And the three ladies laughed even harder.

Thus ends the story of the beauties, the Bop-It and the Butt Train.

The First Day of April

The first words I heard this morning were, "Happy Halloween! There's a cow outside!"

I am now Wonder Woman, although I wonder where I am going to find satin tights.

Apparently I was very creative naming my children: Baby, Harrius Potterus, Spiderman and Frog.

No one will get dressed because it's Saturday?

I'm very glad it's a school day, and their teachers can deal with them from 9:00 - 3:45.

The best April Fools joke ever for a parent: A couple of years ago David and I took Sarah's planner and wrote a note to her teacher in it, "Call her Gertrude today." And all day long her wonderful teacher did! (BTW, fifth graders never look in their planners after handing them to their parents. *laugh out loud*)