Category Archives: Lame Post Friday

Lames Away!

Posted on July 23, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

I did say it was going to be Lame Post Friday, didn’t I?  And here I am, ready to lame away!  Not really.  I’m sitting at work, which is not air conditioned by the way, writing in my beat-up spiral notebook and wishing I had a cryptogram puzzle to solve instead.  Well, maybe not instead.  Maybe as a warm-up.  When I was much younger and had to tear myself away from whatever book I was reading to work on whatever novel I was writing, I used to do a puzzle to clear my mind between the two fictions (oh, I like that phrase, “between the two fictions”).

My mind could use some clearing.  I have had quite the bear of a week and it is not over yet.  The fact that most of my chores have been fun things that I chose to do does not take away from the inherent stress of having too much stuff to do.  The reflection that other people have to do way more stuff than me adds guilt and self-loathing to my troubles, as I add “Beat self up for complaining so much” to my to-do list.

Last night members of LiFT Theatre Company had a great deal of fun presenting a few scenes from Much Ado About Nothing to attendees of Little Falls’ Third Thursday.  We got some good laughs, especially when we forgot lines.

Tonight I plan to march in Ilion’s Doodah Parade with other members of Ilion Little Theatre.  That means I have to hurry home, walk my dog, take my shower, make my blog post, eat something, get into my costume and be ready by 5:15.  I’m not just planning how to get all this done, I’m scheming how to get it done early so my friend and I can sneak in a quick wine tasting at Valley Wine and Liquor before the parade.  Ah, add another thing to my list:  Check Facebook to see if Valley is having a tasting (although they almost always do on Fridays) and contact Kim to see if she’s into it.

What a long list I’m getting.  Perhaps I should not add “Beat myself up for complaining.”  Hey, I bet I’d save even more time if I actually STOPPED complaining.  As the Gene Wilder character said in Young Frankenstein: “IT!  COULD!  WORK!”

 

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It’s No Puzzle Why I’m Lame

Posted on July 9, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

That is a lame headline even for Lame Post Friday.  If I come up with something better before I hit publish, I’ll fix it and change the lead.  Oh, editing.  If only I did more of it.  I’ve talked about edited and polished vs. pure inspiration.  Alas, I have no inspiration today.  But, as you see, I am writing anyways, so those of you who were gearing up for the superior lecture on how One Must Not Await Inspiration, stand down.

Isn’t that a lovely expression?  “Stand down.”  More military than “Sit down.”  More dignified than “Shut up.”  I think I will use it more often.

Astute readers have guessed by now that I spent my breaks at work doing cryptogram  or crossword puzzles rather than writing a blog post.  I also looked at the list I wrote on Tuesday of things to accomplish this week.  I reflected that I have many things to do between today and tomorrow. Then I went back to the puzzle at hand.  I am quite addicted to cryptogram puzzles.

Waaaait a minute.  I  wrote that list on Tuesday.  Doesn’t that mean that I have till Tuesday of next week to complete the items on the list?  I think it does.

In the meantime,  it’s Friday.  I have lines to learn for the play I’m in.  I have work to do on the play I’m writing. I have dirty laundry and a messy house.  I have a dog to walk and a husband to visit with (once he gets home from work).  Full disclosure:  I also have true crime shows to watch on cable television.  I’m only human after all.  Happy Friday, everyone.

 

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Zen and the Art of Lame Post Friday

Posted on July 2, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

Friday just is.

And explanation of that first sentence.   I was about to write a complete sentence then thought, “Oh hell, I’ll just make my blog post later.”  I didn’t realize WordPress had saved it till I logged back in and saw I had an untitled draft.  Naturally I clicked Edit.  At first it looked as if WordPress had saved a blank screen, and I said, “How appropriate.”   Then the above sentence fragment appeared, and I kind of liked it.

The second paragraph was composed on our tablet, you know, one letter at a time with the stylus, till the word I want appears above the keyboard.

Now I’m back on the laptop.  Aaahhhh…  I still don’t have anything to say, but it sure is a lot quicker to ramble on. The first sentence was going to be a reflection that Friday is different when it is the end of a vacation week.  Then I thought, well, duh. I have spent most of today reminding myself that this is still a three day weekend for me.  If I had worked all week and was at the beginning of a three day weekend, I’d be pretty damn happy, wouldn’t I?  Well, then.

So  I am reasonably content with my lot in life tonight.  Three more days till I return to the beastly grind, which, as I may have said, is not particularly beastly nor even grind-like.  I am actually feeling kind of zen about it.  I guess somebody who knows a lot about zen would tell me I am misusing the expression quite disgracefully. I did read a book about zen once:  Zen and the Art of Archery, I think it was, no idea who wrote it.  My cello teacher recommended it to me. She was kind of a weirdo, although I remember being quite impressed with her when I was a high school student.

What I mean by “feeling kind of zen” is, the first sentence sounds oddly appropriate to me.  Then again, perhaps the blank screen would have been better.  Discuss amongst yourselves.  I must get back to enjoying my three day weekend.

 

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Faux Finish Friday

Posted on June 18, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

This week it seems I have indulged in all my give-myself-a-break posts.  And regular readers know I almost never miss Lame Post Friday.  Additionally, I see that since Monday I have mentioned the appropriate weekday in the headline.  Can I continue the trend (I am writing the post before the headline)?  We shall see.

I spent a good deal of my time at work today wondering why I was not in a happier mood.  After all, Friday.  And I don’t have to work Saturday.  What’s not to like?  I was going home to a cute little dog, and my nice husband would be home a mere hour after me. When I got tired of wondering about that (it didn’t take long), I alternately tried to think of something silly to write about for my blog post and potential endings for my banana play.  I MUST finish that play soon!

I did not reach a satisfying destination on either of my trains of thought.  WHY are all the terrible events happening in my play?  Stephen King thinks it is scarier if you DON’T KNOW.  I see what he means, but I think it is sloppy writing.  A writer can withhold the explanation, I suppose, but personally I feel dissatisfied when I get to the end of a story and there is no reason for anything.  Oh, don’t prate to me about how “in real life we don’t know why everything happens,”  we’re talking about fiction!  But it’s neither here nor there; I don’t rule out leaving things a mystery, the more so because I don’t know why they are happening myself.

Oh dear, now you all know I am something of a sloppy writer myself (cue unkind remarks about how you knew it all along).

Speaking of sloppy writing, I am over 250 words.  I call that a respectable post. Now if only I can think of a headline that includes the word “Friday”…

 

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Just Write?

Posted on June 11, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

Write anything, just write.  That is the advice they give us.

“Who is ‘they’?” you may ask in that superior tone that so annoys me.  I may well ask back, “Who are YOU?”  Oh yeah, the critics in my head.  Who invited them to this blog post anyways?

So now I’ve written a whole paragraph without too much pain or problem.  I could go on like that, but am I really best served by doing so?  Another bit of writerly advice I’ve heard is, “Give that inner critic a voice, maybe even a name.  Write out your arguments with him or her.”  The idea is I will see how spurious the inner critic’s criticisms are and/or I will become bored with listening to that fool and tune him or her out.  So there.

Do all writers have this inner critic and are all inner critics as snarky and annoying as mine?  I would not be a bit surprised.

Regular readers know I have had a bit of a problem lately.  The other day I made up my mind to Just Write More.  Of course this is a recipe for ensuring that the one thing I just can’t/don’t want to do is write.  I tried to circumvent the automatic reaction with the caveat that I could Just Write  ANYTHING.  I also sternly told myself to Just Write Anyways.

And I have written, at least in dribs and drabs.  A couple of paragraphs in the TV Journal.  A few more lines on the banana play.  A not too contemptible lead for an article for Mohawk Valley Living (along with a few contemptible leads I crossed out).  Part of a letter to my sister.  And of course blog posts.

As I often observe, one must persevere.  Ah, I think that can count as a random observation.  Remember, today is Lame Post Friday, my day for random observations and half-baked philosophy.  I think this whole post counts as the latter.  Happy Friday, everyone.

 

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NOW I’ll Pour the Wine!

Posted on May 28, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

Oh, thank Heaven it’s Lame Post Friday and Wine O’clock.  If only it was also Steve-fifteen, my life would be perfect.  Full disclosure:  I have not yet poured myself a glass of wine.  That’s next.  First I need to make a blog post.

I have been experiencing great resistance to writing lately (yes, I know, some people call that laziness; they could be right but I am not up to arguing semantics today).  Twice this week I’ve brought plays to work to read, to avoid staring at a blank page in my notebook.  I really have to stop doing that.   I mean, sometimes it’s fine.  I read the play on breaks, I put the play away and work. Sometimes not so much.

When I was reading Leading Ladies I made rather a spectacle of myself by laughing out loud as I read.  That did not bother me nearly as much as when I read Wrong Turn at Lungfish and started to cry.  I sat at the break table with the tears streaming down my face.  Finally I got up and went to the usual refuge for crying, the ladies room.  I went into the back and sobbed.  That would not have been so bad, except the guy was in there cleaning at the time.  How embarrassing.

Nothing particularly embarrassing happened with the plays I read this week.  The problem was, though, they were so good I could not put them down.  Well, one must put down reading materials and return to work.  Those are the rules.  This is why I stopped bringing books to work (no, not the crying thing; I rarely cry over what I read).

I have managed to write at least a little bit on my banana play each day.  I hope to write even more this weekend, among other activities planned.  One thing I have definitely planned is to write some non-lame blog posts.  However, those plans are for the future.  For today, this is what you get.  Happy Friday, everyone.

 

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Lame Post, Not Really Friday

Posted on May 21, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

Full disclosure:  Even though I am making a Lame Friday Post, it is not really a Friday for me.  I have to work tomorrow.  However, this is not a blog about work, so I will not dwell on that but go on to attempt to entertain with random observations and half-baked philosophy (which, for anyone just tuning in, is what I do on Lame Post Friday).

Hmmm… I got nuthin.

I had thought I could share some of the observations I made when I went running on Monday.  I remember noticing a few things and thinking, “I’ll include that in my Running Commentary,” but I did not.  Do you suppose I remember what those observations were now?  Of course not!  I’ll let you come up with your own half-baked philosophy about why that is so.

Earlier today I observed the bright sunshine making things outside look quite lovely. I was about to remark upon it when a co-worker asked me how my play went.  Naturally  I got all distracted telling him all about how wonderful it was. And here I am talking about work again.  I’ll stop that now.

Last night was Ilion Little Theatre Club’s last monthly dinner meeting of the 2015-16 season.  Great plans are in train for next season.  I’ll most likely be writing many blog posts about it.  I do not intend to direct again.  Well, not before 2017.  Well, not a major production before 2017.  We’ll see what happens.  I might like to get back onstage again, although that entails a whole other set of trouble from directing.  So I thought maybe I’d take another season off acting as well.  Then I heard one director is doing Steel Magnolias.  What a great choice!

Well, that last paragraph was neither random observation nor half-baked philosophy, but merely me blathering on about the theatre.  I would imagine my readers had enough of that with All Leading Ladies All The Time and would appreciate a break.   Then again, there may also be readers who would like a break from foolish posts like this one, and they are doomed to disappointment.  Happy Friday, everyone.

 

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Post-Leading Ladies Lame

Posted on May 14, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

I have found that it takes at least a week to recover from a major theatre endeavor, at least for me.  I’m old, remember?  But I will say, I am quite delighted to have a Friday when I do not have to hurry to the theatre for either a rehearsal or a performance.  Full disclosure:  I did hurry out to a wine tasting at a liquor store then to a restaurant for dinner and the grocery store.  Now  I am sitting in my living room sipping wine and composing at the keyboard.

The wine tasting was at Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer, NY, with the Adirondack Winery of Lake George, NY.  I have gone to several wine tastings there as well as a couple at Vintage Spirits in Hekimer and Ilion Wine and Liquor, none of which I have written about.  That is very remiss of me, especially as some of the people from the wineries have remembered me and are certainly deserving of a post.

Be all that as it may, all I want to do now is type in something vaguely acceptable and get back to enjoying my Friday.  Did I mention we went out to dinner?  We went to Jamo’s in Herkimer and had two carafes of Pinot Grigio.  Yum!  Dinner was yummy, too, so there is another blog post I ought to make.

Regarding Leading Ladies (that play at Ilion Little Theatre, remember?), I have to return to the theatre tomorrow to help take down the set and put away costumes and props.  It would behoove me not to drink too much wine tonight.  I shall take that under advisement.  Happy Friday, everyone.

 

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Looking for Lame in All the Wrong Places

Posted on May 7, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

I thought of that title while I was at work today and, unfortunately, it is about all I have thought of so far.

It is the oddest thing.  I start thinking about writing and think I am really ready to get back into it. Yes, sir and ma’am, I am going to sit myself down and write.  Just watch me go.  Here I go.  Right now.  Writing.  Me.  I’m writing.  Now.

Oh, I KNOW, if you wait till you “feel” like writing, you will never write.  And the longer you stay away from it, the more frightening it becomes to pick up that pen. You can feel the words NOT coming out.  The image of that blank page is so heinous you cannot bear the thought of seeing the real thing.  It’ll suck!  You’ll feel awful!  And that insidious little voice in your head assures you, “Tomorrow will be a much better time to start.”

It’s all bullshit, of course.  Sooner or later, you have to just sit down and write, or else you’ll never write again.  For some people, I suppose that would not be a bad thing (yes, I see you pointing at me!) (you know who you are).  I will eventually do just that.  Sometimes I get myself to it by saying, “Oh, just try.”  And whoever just said, “Do or do not.  There is no try”  can just shut up.

You know, I completely forgot where I was going with this post.  What I am wondering now is (and I may use this as a title sometime): Does this count as writing?  I’m not entirely sure that it does.  No matter.  It is Lame Post Friday.  If you were looking for lame, dear reader, this is not one of the wrong places.  My new plan (which I came up with just this minute) is to begin writing again today or tomorrow.  The reason for this is, I caught myself thinking, “After the show…” (Surely you remember that I directed Leading Ladies at Ilion Little Theatre) (and I’ll call you Shirley if I feel like it).  The show will be over Sunday.

NO!!! You cannot wait for ideal conditions!  They will never come and if by some miracle, they do occur, you will not be able to write!  Everybody knows that!

Oh dear.  This blog post is really dumb and does not fit the rather clever (or do I flatter myself?) title.   But perhaps somebody found it amusing.  Happy Friday, everybody.

 

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What Lame through Yonder Window Breaks?

Posted on April 30, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

I thought of that title yesterday, when I was trying to come up with something for my Non Sequitur Thursday post.  Yes, I was wishing it was Friday.  Who wasn’t?  Oh, I know, you probably weren’t (both the people who work on Saturday and the ones who just always have to disagree) (you know who you are).

Oh, how good it feels to be writing my blog post in my battered spiral notebook before my shift at work begins.  This is so much better than sitting at the computer, staring at a blank screen and thinking, “I got nuthin’.”

So, yes, it is opening night of Leading Ladies at Ilion Little Theatre.  Yesterday, as I gave a little director’s speech before Final Dress (we directors love to give speeches) (and any director who just said, “I don’t,” FAT LIAR!), I said, “There’s a saying that the worse the dress rehearsal the better the opening night…”

“Let’s not do that,” said one of my actors, which is exactly where I was going with that.

“Thank you!”  I said.

And we didn’t do that.  Rehearsal went very well.  I expect tonight’s performance to go equally well.  My only two concerns are (1) what am I going to wear and (2) will anybody want to go out for a drink afterward?  These are questions for which I am sure answers will be forthcoming.

In the meantime, it is Friday.  For this blog specifically, Lame Post Friday.  A lame post should also be brief.  Happy Friday, everyone.

 

 

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