Sunday, August 26, 2012

A Night At The Theatre, "Abraham Lincoln's Big, Gay Dance Party"

Yes, I really saw a show called Abraham Lincoln's Big, Gay Dance Party. And if Chris Chandler hadn't been in it, I'm sure I would have never known about the play.

Here's a synopsis according the their website: The story is set in Menard County, Illinois, where Abraham Lincoln once lived and operated a general store. It begins with the annual school Christmas pageant, where the 4th-grade teacher, Harmony Green, has rewritten the script to call into question Lincoln’s sexuality.

The town is horrified and demands she be held accountable. The local DA, Tom Hauser, has Green fired and arrested for distributing harmful materials to minors.

Hauser, a former Republican congressman who left Washington in disgrace in the 80s, receives national attention for the arrest. The RNC sends one of its best people, Lloyd Chambers, to Menard to set Hauser up for a run for Governor.

At the same time, Hauser's friend and protégée, Regina Lincoln, a State Senator, is planning a run for the Governor's mansion and goes to Menard to ask Tom to campaign for her -- only to discover he is running against her. And with the favorable media attention he is attracting as a result of the trial, Regina is certain to lose in the primary. Betrayed and hungry for revenge, she realizes she can attract the same amount of attention and cast Hauser as an out-of-touch radical by acting as Green's defense attorney. When she does, the trial becomes "the trial of the century," pitting two Republican power houses against each other.

This brings Anton Renault to town. A Pulitzer-winning reporter from the New York Times, Renault has his own agenda stemming from Hauser's time in Congress. Renault blames Hauser for exacerbating the AIDS crisis and intends to use his coverage of the trial as an opportunity to end Hauser's career once and for all. His efforts are unexpectedly complicated by the friendship he forms with Hauser's son, Jerry Hauser.

The play is about the trial of the century, but it is also about history -- the history of Lincoln (and the radically disparate interpretations of it), and the history of animosities and friendships between the characters stemming from the 80s. One could say the play examines how we are constantly "re-litigating" our history.

I didn't care for the show at all. It wasn't necessarily the acting, though there really were no strong performances. It's the play itself. With a name like Abraham Lincoln's Big, Gay Dance Party what incentive does one really have to take things seriously?

Friday, August 24, 2012

Texts from Sam

Sam: Laptop/printer shopping...I feel uncomfortable and unintelligent without you helping me :/

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Text to Sam

Me: Just so you know, I'm having a moment. We are in Walmart getting Cade's school supplies. A wave of sadness hit me that you aren't here too.

Sam: I haven't evens started with supplies yet cuz I have no idea what I'll need. But yea, that's x5 million is where I was last night.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

A Book Review

As I mentioned in this post, I received my second book from Bethany House. I absolutely loved the first book I got so I was rather excited about this one.

My excitement didn't last.

This book is apparently the third of a Roland March series. I haven't read the first two and I don't think I'd read any subsequent books. This one involved gun running, Mexican cartels, FBI conspiracy, etc. It just wasn't my cup of tea.

The story started out very promising. A body is found with a missing head. Both hands have been skinned (de-gloved) and a pointing finger could be a clue. Enter Detective Roland March.

I was intrigued all through the first half of the book. Once the storyline took off with the Mexican cartels, I got lost and my interest waned. I did plug on and finished the book, but it was a difficult read.

Overall I feel the book is miss titled. Plenty of people had everything to hide. What irritated me most was, while the initial homicide was solved, the identity of the victim was never determined. A better title might be "Nothing Resolved."

Note: I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers for my review. These opinions are my own; I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated for this review.



Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Texts from Sam

Sam: Walking around Barefoot Landing. Missing you guys a lot.

Me: Miss u too. Wish I was there too. Except for the bridges.

Sam: I'd hold your hand like I did last time. 

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Museum Do Crew

Earlier today Chad, Cade and I participated in a Do Crew event at the Children's Museum of Winston-Salem. We got to help out during the museum's "Kickoff to Kindergarten" event. I'd worked this event before and  knew how much fun it would be. I also thought Cade could give some really good advice.

As you can see, we were stationed in the Art Room. We helped the kids make mini-journals and/or color a 3D bus. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the kids stamp pictures and glue headers in their journals. Most of the stamped pictures turned out to be colored blobs but they were still happy with their creations. And I was happy that they were happy. Because there's nothing more infectious than a kid's laughter.

Update:
Sent: Monday, August 13, 2012 11:20 AM
Subject: Kickoff to Kindergarten - Thank you!

Thank you all so much for your involvement with our annual Kickoff to Kindergarten celebration! From buses to books to delicious treats to volunteer hours – you did so much to help kids and parents get excited about the school year. We appreciate your time and energy!

With sincere thanks,

Christine Simonson
Director of Education
Children's Museum of Winston-Salem

Tuesday, August 07, 2012

Texts from Sam


Sam: I found Cade's name on a boogie board.

Me: Lol! It's a misspelling!

Sam: I know! But it's his name! :)

Saturday, August 04, 2012

Bedroom Make-over, In Progress

Two of my bedroom walls are painted with the darker Utah Sky paint. I'm really loving the color!Tomorrow we will be painting the rest of my bedroom and hallway with the lighter version.

I'll also have to tape the walls to redo the molding trim. I'll have to make another stop at the Depot for some more painter's tape.



Thursday, August 02, 2012

Texts with Sam

Sam: My Nikes are giving me shoegasms :)

Me: Is that a good thing?

Sam: How can anything ending in "gasm" be a bad thing?