This Makes Me Smile

(And also makes me want to reread The Battle of Shallowford by Ed Simpson.)

Tonight's Feature

Ken and I saw the staged production at The Public Theatre back in 2007. I was so excited to have been so close to Phillip Seymour Hoffman that I could have reached out and touched his arm. I was also thrilled to see Daphne Rubin-Vega on stage. Neither disappointed.

I was initially upset that Raleigh was the closest city showing the movie. I email a/perture cinema and asked if they would consider showing it. Apparently they did, though I was out of town during the short run. Even though the DVD was a high priority on my Amazon (birthday) wish list, once I realized I wasn't going to get it I placed it at the top spot in my Netflix queue.

Mallorie and I watched it tonight. She was slightly bored with it and I was absolutely enthralled. Jack is a very quirky, awkward character and Hoffman's portrayal was spot on. Clyde is Jack's best friend and Ortiz's performance was endearing. The pool scenes were some of my favorite in the movie. Rubin-
Vega's character, Lucy, was appropriately bitchy. Her cut down of Clyde and their marriage is heartbreaking.

I loved the movie as much as I loved the stage production. And even though I've seen the movie, it's still on my Amazon list. Maybe for Mother's Day?

Resurrecting Rachel?

From: Kati Frazier
To: Devon; Laurel; Cheryl Ann; Greg; Chris; Sam; Alice; Katie
Sent: Fri, Apr 8, 2011 10:51 am
Subject: The Couch again?

Hey guys!

So, I have already mentioned this to some of you, but that possibility of bring The Couch to Theatre Alliance is becoming a reality. We will be performing July 7th and 8th with a tech on the 6th.

Of course that use of "we" is tentative. I want as many of you back as possible, mainly because I like you and enjoyed what you did with the script but also because it will make putting this back up much, much faster. The plan right now is to start rehearsal in early June, and the schedule should be pretty light. We will mainly be refreshing our memories, working a few minor revisions, and bringing up to speed any new actors. How busy it is depends on how many people I have to replace.

So here is my question to you: Are you in? Don't feel bad if you can't do it, I'll be sad, but I understand that you guys have other shows and other commitments.

*Rachel was such a fun character and I so enjoyed bringing her to life. I'd love to bring her to the Theatre Alliance stage! I advised Kati that I won't know my work schedule until mid May and that I'd let her know as soon as my schedule was ironed out. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it'll work out.

Searching For My New Team

US Airways bringing 200 jobs to Winston-Salem center
By Richard Craver

US Airways Group Inc. said it is bringing as many as 200 reservation-center jobs to Winston-Salem, offering promising news for job-seekers struggling through a 10.3 percent Triad unemployment rate.

The new hires include 60 workers brought on in March, and another 60 will come on board if they complete training that began Monday. Starting pay for the jobs is $9.96 an hour.

The jobs are returning to the Hanes Mall Boulevard center — as well as to centers in Phoenix and Reno, Nev. — as part of the airline's collective-bargaining agreement with its unions.

It was required to return all reservation sales and service calls originating in the U.S. to domestic call centers by October. The Winston-Salem center operates around the clock, primarily handling specialty domestic calls.

The jobs are not all new positions, said Vonda Hardy, the president of Communications Workers of America Local 3640, which represents the center's workers. The center has lost some union employees in recent months because of attrition, retirement, health issues and workers being let go.

"Being a reservation agent is a very hard job, and some people left to pursue other employment," Hardy said Wednesday. "It truly is a job where you are accountable for every second you are at work."

In December, the airline approached the Winston-Salem City Council for a one-time incentive of up to $29,250 in return for pledging to add up to 200 jobs.

The council approved the request but has not paid any of the incentive, said Derwick Paige, a deputy city manager.

Mayor Allen Joines said, "The city worked hard on this project and is delighted that US Airways chose Winston-Salem as a site to bring back these jobs."

The airline said in December that it had 757 jobs overall at the center, including union and nonunion employees.

Hardy said the workforce represented by the union has dwindled to 600 — down about 30 from 15 months earlier. Some of those employees have left since December, she said. Some non-union management and administrative employees were hired in recent months, she said.

Joines said the airline remains eligible for at least a portion of the incentives based on a net gain of jobs at the center.

The airline has added 60 employees from training sessions that took place in March. Some of those workers are former American Express employees in Greensboro, Hardy said. American Express said Jan. 19 that it was closing its call center by year's end, with an expected loss of about 1,500 regional jobs.

US Airways expects to get another 60 employees from a second round of training that began Monday. It plans to conduct training in July, August and September.

The starting pay for the new jobs is about $20,717 a year, Hardy said. The $9.96 hourly rate represents a 62-cent increase from the current wage.

She said employees get two weeks of vacation and one week of holiday pay, and they qualify for health insurance from day one. As part of the union contract, new hires will get two weeks of holiday pay beginning in 2012.

Forsyth County officials chose not to offer incentives to US Airways because the proposed salaries for the jobs aren't high enough. The county has a guideline that says companies should pay at least $10 an hour to be considered for economic incentives.

A per-job incentive package was offered to US Airways in 2005 when it was considering consolidating its two main reservation centers in Winston-Salem or Pittsburgh. The company collected a small amount in incentives for those jobs.

The center has been one of the city's larger private employers for more than 10 years, including mechanical and other back-office jobs. However, the airline's local workforce has fluctuated sharply over the past nine years.

Since August 2002, US Airways has been through two bankruptcies. It was bought by America West Holdings Corp. in 2006.

Legit

Today was my last day at GMAC. While I am looking forward to returning "home", I will greatly miss my co-workers. They organized a food day in my honor and presented me with this card.

What a great, fun group of people they are!

Celebrating 42

Delicious Birthday Cake

Pretty Birthday Roses

Fabulous Birthday Presents

Cards For My Birthday

A Night At The Movies, "Black Swan"

So, tonight I finally went to see Black Swan.

I don't even know what to say.

It was weird and creepy. Some of the scenes had me cringing and some scenes had me like, "WTF?!"

Natalie Portman was fantastic!

Mind. Blown.

On April 17 I will be participating in another "den" reading of Reunions, the latest script by my favorite playwright, Bill Cissna. This will be the 4th den reading I've done with Bill.

The reading itself is a reunion of sorts. Everyone but Zac was involved in the staged production of Bill's first play, Conversations In A Cafe.

The Female Cast is:
Gretchen – Mary Lea Williams
Susie – Cheryl Ann Roberts
Mary – Myla O’Brien
Denise – Carson Gregory
Chrissy – Rebecca Clark

The Male Cast is:
Cameron Williams
Scott Terrill
Paul O'Brien
Zac Hiatt

Did you notice that the male character names are not listed? It's not an oversight. I truly don't know the characters the men will be reading. Bill only provided us gender specific parts of the script. I'm very excited to see how the evening plays out!

Today Cade decided to write a story. When I asked him what it would be about, he said it would take place in a toy store. He said Mikey would be in the story, as well as Jazmin and Cosi (Mikey's two dogs who we kept for a year when he was on tour). Our cats Lizzie and Buddy (who died two years ago) would also be in the story.

He was sharpening his pencil as I headed to the shower to get ready for my afternoon at Theatre Alliance. Forty-five minutes later, I kissed him goodbye and he was still writing.

Cade's creativity never fails to entertain me. If you'd like to read Trapped In The Toy Store, exactly as he wrote it, click here.

In Honor of Spring

In the name of the Bee-
And of the Butterfly-
And of the Breeze-Amen!

Happy Brave Soldier's Day, Michael

For Craig

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss

I was never really into Dr. Seuss, except when Mallorie and Cade were learning to read. But, I really love this cake!

Ken, Let's Go!

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!

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?

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!

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.

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!

Happy Valentine's Day!

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!

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.

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.

Calgon...

take me away!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Saturday's Features

My first Netflix movie of the new year! And a very enjoyable one at that.

This movie was one you'd more likely see on the Lifetime channel. Meh.

Family Movie Night

Mallorie and Cade both wanted to see this movie, so I added it to my Netflix queue. They were very excited when it came in today's mail.

It only took me 10 minutes to dislike the movie. Honestly, I was shocked at the amount of violence. From Max's outbursts and meanness to a cruel dirt clod fight. It was all I could do to sit through the remainder of the movie.

There was one saving grace. When Max decides to leave the island, Carol (voiced by James Gandolifini) is very sad. Cade was very affected during this scene and tried his best to hide the fact that he was crying. Watching him trying to "be brave" made me almost cry. After the movie I was able to have the "it's okay for boys/men to cry" talk.

It's been a very nice Christmas. We've gotten some beautiful snow. Mallorie and I are staying warm and enjoying a repeat of season one of Glee. (As you can see, Lizzie is keeping Mallorie extra warm!)

If I Could, I Would

I am very proud of Mallorie. She starts her first real job tonight, a paying gig! She will be running spotlight for the Greensboro Ballet's production of The Nutcracfker at the Carolina Theatre. I helped her with her resume, but she secured the gig all by herself!

Toy Soldiers

The entire 3rd grade class will be presenting Santa's Holiday Playlist tomorrow night after a PTA meeting. Cade's class are toy soldiers and will be singing and dancing to "Just A Little R & R". I can't wait to see the show!

Me Want

(I've no idea where to find these. If you do, please let me know!)

Tonight's Feature

Tonight I had a Netflix date with Cade. He chose this movie and I do have to admit it was cute. We both laughed, though Cade had a few more giggle fits than I did.

Tonight's Feature

I've decided to treat Netflix as a guilty pleasure, and as such I wanted my inaugural movie to exemplify that theme. I don't think there's any guiltier of pleasures than obsessive shopping.

I read the book several years ago and the movie was fairly faithful. Definitely a chic flick, and this chic definitely enjoyed it!

Because I now have an extraordinary amount of time on my hands, and due to the fact that my eyes are extremely tired from all the reading I've done for the past two weeks, I've decided to sign up for Netflix. I'm really interested to see how the "instant viewing" via the Wii goes.

Because We All Need Some

I'm filling in as stage manager for Open Space's new play production of Peepers. And even though earlier today I received the worst news ever, I still found something to smile about.

Report Card

Cade brought home his first real report card today:

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

I'm so proud of Cade! Too, Mallorie deserves a little of the credit. Not only does she pick him up at the busstop, but she helps Cade with his homework every day. She takes this job very seriously. I'm so proud of both their accomplishments.

Art by Me

Well, the art is actually by Cade and is part of a school fundraiser. Everyone draws a picture and the fund raising company will turn it into a magnet, mouse pad, trivet, etc. I've got all of Mallorie's magnets and all of Cade's, except for this year.

Usually the fundraiser package comes home with a "sample" magnet. As happens every year, we forget to return the magnet and end up having to pay the $5.00. This year the company didn't include a sample magnet. Nothing to return and I'm still $5.00 to the good.

Oh, Cade says it's a picture of a bird. A tropical bird, to be exact.