Monday, February 28, 2011

Dream Cast

I know this play has been made into a movie, but I'd still love to see it staged. And if I was directing, this would be my dream cast:
Joel Bixby - Chad Edwards
Dink Feeny - Neil Shephard
Nick Whalen - Ken Ashford
Perry Latimer - Scott Stevens
Leo Applegate - Anthony Liguori
As I was reading the script tonight, I kept hearing their voices in my head and I could see exactly how each of them would breathe life into their respective characters. With this talented group of men the show would definitely rock!

So how about it guys? When can we all get together and put on a play?

Ten Second Theatre

I absolutely love that Cade is so creative, and it warms my heart that he is following in my theatrical footsteps. He likes to write and perform his own plays. After writing his script he talked Mallorie into originating the role of Guy. Here's his latest 10 second production:
Cade: Hey, do you want to ride bikes?

Guy: What is a bike?

Cade: You know what a bike is.

Guy: Do you think my hair is bad?

Cade: Just shut up, okay?

Guy: You shut up.

Cade: You.

Guy: You.

Cade: Just...bye.
I gave them both a standing ovation!

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Lego Lamborghini

Cade's birthday is April 12. In an effort to be more organized this year, I'm already making his gift list. Do you think he'd want this?

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Last Night's Feature

In May 2009, I spent a week in NYC. I was the stage manager for "The Nebula Of Georgia" which ran for 3 days at the Manhattan Repertory Theatre. After rehearsal one night Ken and I walked with Kelly back to her hotel. At one of the Broadway intersections, we were halted. Apparently a movie scene was being filmed. A few short moments later a silver car equipped with cameras pointing into the car drove by. Unfortunately we didn't find out what movie it was.

When I saw the trailer, I quickly realized that Ken, Kelly and I had witnessed a scene from this movie. After telling Cade my story he wanted to see the movie. So, last night was another Netflix date night with him.

We both enjoyed the movie, though we were both a bit tired. There were some slow moments and Cade and I had to fight to stay awake. Overall we enjoyed the special effects. Cade has been throwing "plasma balls" all over the house today!

Friday, February 18, 2011

Tonight's Feature

After some slight begging Mallorie agreed to watch with me. She had to pause the movie a couple of times to ask me to explain what was happening. I had to smile. Her questions indicated a deeper interest from a more mature point of view. She is really starting to think like an adult, instead of a teenager. I'm proud of her.

We both liked the movie, though I wasn't sure if I liked the fact that the lead character wasn't a clear cut good guy/hero.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

An Evening At The Theatre

One of my favorite actors is Ken Ashford. If he's in a show, I will try my best to go see it. After a quick chat with him that included an update on a particular costume, I wasn't so sure. If it weren't for Jamie Lawson and Heather Hamby playing the leads, I really think I would have skipped this show. But Jamie and Heather are such a pleasure to watch, that ultimately I decided to watch.

Honestly, I didn't much care for the show. Now, wait and hear me out before you jump to conclusions. Eating Raoul: The Musical is just not my kind of theatre. Very similar to how Refer Madness wasn't my kind of theatre. I guess I'm just not hip enough to really get into the cult campiness these kinds of shows offer.

But there were a great many things I loved about Theatre Alliance's production of the show, starting with the leads. I was blown away by Jamie's performance in Thrill Me and was really looking forward to seeing him back on stage. His portrayal of Paul Bland was spot on, and I enjoyed every minute of his performance, especially the biker outfit. I always, always enjoy watching Heather. She embodied Mary Bland with such empathy and uncanny comic timing. "One Last Bop" was my favorite musical number. Heather's a true talent with such professionalism that she never missed a beat when her ballgown got caught on her heel.

Natasha Gore was another talented standout. Cary Newberry and David Cole just made me smile. (I so want to party with them!) And the set! I loved the dayglo set.

I was absolutely impressed with the costume design by Shayla Henry and Lindsay McWilliams. The Raoulettes looked fabulous, as did Donna the Dominatrix. And Ken's costume that I almost decided to skip, priceless!

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Today's Feature

Since this is the last weekend of my unexpected 3 month vacation I decided to treat myself to a pre-Valentine's Day celebration. What better way than with this movie?

I have to admit that I loved this movie! If only I had the money to spend a year abroad!

Friday, February 11, 2011

An Evening At The Theatre

Earlier tonight I had the pleasure of serving pre-show and intermission beverages to Twin City Stage patrons who were attending the final Friday performance of Dearly Departed. As "payment" for my time, I was able to say and watch the show. And what a delightful show it was!

First of all, I cannot tell you how proud I am of Dillon Robertson's stage debut. He was wonderful! I was also very proud of Beth Frazier, who played Delightful. She remained true to her character without stealing focus.

Ray Stewart as Ray-Bud and Becki West as Suzanne were fun and hilarious to watch. I was so excited to see Ally McCauley and Paul Van Loon. I wished their characters could have had more stage time. The Joy of Life Singers (Katie Abel, Holly Bostick, Kirby Carespodi, and Diana Coe) were, well, a joy.

And I absolutely loved the set designed by Larry Hurych.

Wednesday, February 09, 2011

Report Card

Second quarter report cards came out today.

C in Reading
A in Writing
A in Science
C in Social Studies
B in Mathematics

He went down in Reading and Social Studies, and we weren't surprised. Cade has promised to work on his reading comprehension and we've committed to helping him study more. (It floors me that no one teaches you how to study, only telling you that you should.)

The best news is that Cade did improve in Writing, Science and Mathematics. We've really worked hard with Cade on his math. He still has a habit of counting on his fingers and we are trying to help him memorize simply addition/subtraction facts. He's getting so much better with memorization of his multiplication facts.

Saturday, February 05, 2011

An Evening At The Theatre

Mallorie and I attended this 5th show in the 2011 Greensboro Fringe Festival early last night. I enjoyed the show. Mallorie did not.

We both agreed that the show might have been better as a straight play. The story was engaging in and of itself and we felt the music impeded the flow of the story. It did not help that two of the actors were not strong singers. One particular dance number was almost unbearable.

Outside of the musical numbers, what made the show enjoyable was the strong acting from a talented cast. Phil Powell was wonderful as Wellman, Tom Barker was a winner as Joe, and Kalen Gaulden was good as Kay.

My favorite was Laurel Ullman as Sarita. She had the least amount of stage time, but she commanded an indelible presence in flashback movie shots.

Friday, February 04, 2011

The Angels Sang Today

and all because the UPS man totally surprised me with a delivery.

That's right, my CosMedix products arrived around 11am this morning!! Just to remind you how amazing this is, I placed the order at 7:30p Wednesday night! Lightening fast delivery; I'm totally sold on SkinStore.com.

I began my spa facial treatment at 8pm. I swear I could hear the angels singing as I cleansed my poor scaly face with Purity Clean. Instantly I felt the familiar coolness and clean tingle. I breathed in the wonderful pepperminty fragrance. Relief flooded my face.

Since I couldn't remember the last time I masked and because my face was in such dire condition, I applied Clear which is a clarifying mask. I was initially a bit fearful. Masks usually tighten the skin and I was already feeling like a dried apple. Per the instructions, I left it on for 10 minutes. To occupy my mind I changed my bedsheets and dusted my nightstands and dresser. Back in the bathroom I warmed the water and began to splash off the mask. Looking up into the mirror I was amazed to see such a brillant, fresh face staring back at me.

To help slough off the scaly, dried skin I next used Purity Balance, an exfoliating prep. Once again I felt a wonderful cooling sensation. I headed back to my bedroom to pick up the pile of clothes I let accumulate on the floor. I won't lie. There was a happy spring in my step.

Fifteen minutes later I returned to the bathroom for the final step. I opened my brand new jar of Define, a resurfacing treatment. As I applied it to my face I marveled at how smooth my skin felt. Once again, I swear I could hear the angels sing. For the first time in quite some time my skin was a smooth as the proverbial baby's bottom.

I'm in bed, blogging between fresh, clean sheets. I can't help the smile that's easily spreading across my face. My shriveled apple doll face is healing. I am on my way to supple apple cheeks!

A Most Wonderful Friday

The morning started early. 5:27 to be exact. The school system called to advise of a 2-hour delay. I waited ten minutes for a return call because I thought for sure it was a mistake. I rolled over, grabbed the TV remote, and tuned in to channel 2. Sure enough, a two-hour delay. I obviously missed the latest weather forecast. I reset my alarm and snuggled in for a few more hours of sleep.

With Cade (finally) off to school I got ready for my day with Mallorie. We were going to head to some places she was interested in applying for jobs. I also had to stop by LabCorp for a pre-employment drug test.

Mallorie and I hit Harris Teeter and Walgreen's. After chatting with the customer service manager in Kmart, it was apparent no one uses paper applications anymore. Mallorie and I decided that we'd spend all day Sunday applying to these places, and others, via their websites. With that we headed to LabCorp. Unfortunately we arrived 10 minutes into their hour lunch, so Mallorie and I hung out in the parking lot until they reopened at 2pm. I was in and done within 10 minutes.

Our next stop was Ham's Restaurant in Kernersville for a late lunch. Mallorie had a burger and I had a turkey sandwich. Both of us had the homemade chips, cooked crispy instead of left floppy. Lunch was very nice outside of a few rock songs played at a higher volume. I was proud of myself for resisting the urge to get a cookie skillet for dessert. After lunch we headed to Greensboro. We had plans to see a show in the Greensboro Fringe Festival.

We arrived early and browsed one of the art galleries in the Cultural Arts Center. We also perused the displayed artwork of some Guilford County elementary students. I can't believe the talent some of these kids have! I was blown away by two works - one from a student in 2nd grade and one in 4th grade. The detail in both pictures was so advanced. I'm envious of such natural talent!

We chatted with Bill and Kathy Cissna as well as Kati Fraizer before the show. The show started at 6pm and was relatively short. Mallorie and I were back home by 8pm.

I know these days will become fewer and further between, so I absolutely treasure these precious mother-daughter days.

Thursday, February 03, 2011

Family Movie Night

Tonight's Feature:


We all loved it! This is a movie with something for everyone: villainy, romance, hilarity, minions, and too-cute-for-words sweetness. Oh, and a really awesome soundtrack from Pharrell Williams.

Wednesday, February 02, 2011

Can't Take It Anymore

My face is in such a bad state that I fear I will look like this by next week!

I reviewed two different online stores for my CosMedix purity products. SkinStore.com had the best prices, with a 20% discount and free shipping so I placed an order.

I am crossing my fingers that blizzards don't delay my delivery.

Tuesday, February 01, 2011

I woke up yesterday morning with very puffy eyes, looking like I hadn't slept in years and my lips were slightly swollen. My face felt like this and looked slightly worse. My face hasn't ever felt or looked like this and I wonder if these might be some reasons why:

1.) I used to use CosMedix products that I purchased from Skin Like Rissa's. I could well afford the products and the spa was a short walk down the hall from my office. I ran out of the cleanser, and since I lost my job, I switched to some Arbonne products I had on hand. I ran out of that last week, and have been using a facial cleansing bar.

2a.) Mallorie needed some new face wash so, after Saturday's rehearsal and before our performance, we stopped at Target. We purchased this, and I used it to wash my face before putting on my show make-up.

2b.) The bathrooms at City Arts do not contain paper towels. Unfortunately I didn't remember this until after I had already soaped up my face. Without really thinking it through, I stuck my head under the hand-dryer.

3.) I can count on one hand the times I've worn make-up over the last 3 months. I've worn foundation each day for the last 7.

I do believe the facial cleansing bar was beginning to dry out my face and the Neutrogena simply increased the affect. It's also very possible that I gave myself some facial wind chap from using the hand-dryer.

Whatever the reason(s), I fear I'm starting to look like an apple doll.