Category Archives: Monday Mental Meanderings

Can I Manage some Mental Meandering?

I may have made some misguided remarks about getting back to “real” posts today, now that Much Ado About Nothing is over, but I just don’t imagine anybody believed them.  For heavens’ sake, I had a brutally busy weekend including two performances and a cast party, I worked ten hours today, I did some other stuff after work, I’m TIRED.  And it isn’t Tired Tuesday yet.  I think I might manage a Monday Mental Meanderings.  Let’s see what comes of the keyboard.

A side note:  Much Ado isn’t completely over yet.  We may have one more performance.  I’ll write a blog post about it if we do.

I promised myself that I would write more when I wasn’t running around to rehearsals and performances so much.  I was really looking forward to it.  Who knew I was going to feel so brain dead today.  Oh, who am I kidding? Everybody knew it.  Still, I brought a notebook to work and did not bring any cryptogram puzzles or other reading material.  I would write SOMETHING. Sometime turned out to be a letter to my sister.  I didn’t finish it.

The notebook I had brought was not one I had written in recently.  While flipping through to a blank page, I discovered a novel I started last year which I had been thinking about lately but did not know where it was.  Now I know!  I re-read what I had written.  Sometimes when I am reading something I wrote I think, I am a very good writer. No doubt I flatter myself.  I really must start finishing my novels.  Then they might be published and other people could judge what kind of a writer I am (although I will probably say to them, “Don’t judge”).

In the meantime, I declare this foolish blog post done and I will see if I can come up with something better for tomorrow.  Happy Monday, everyone.

 

Mental Meanderings before Much Ado

That served me right.  I started to work on a cryptogram puzzle instead of writing my blog post, and I could not get it.  It is a similar phenomenon when I play one more game of solitaire (do I need to specify with an actual deck of cards, not on the computer or other device?) (oh, who am I kidding? Nobody plays solitaire on computers any more!), even though I do not have time enough to do so, it is almost always a lousy game.  Well, we cannot always do the right thing and very often we cannot even agree on what the right thing is.

And there goes that theory anyways.  I couldn’t think of anything else to write.  I looked at the puzzle and got it.  Bam.

The preceding is what I wrote while on break at work.  I was going for a Monday Mental Meanderings, I suppose.  The only other thing I got is this:  Under the heading It Take So Little To Please Some People: today is 8/8/16.  Get it?  8 + 8 = 16.  Teehee.  Yes, I am easily amused.  I was going to post that as my Facebook status but I forgot.

I’m afraid this post is not very amusing. In my defense, I have to get to the Utica Zoo by 5 p.m.  We are presenting Much Ado About Nothing at six.  I am suddenly feeling quite nervous about it.  Making sure I remember all my costumes and props, driving to the zoo, finding a place to park… oh yes, and remembering my lines.  I’m going to stop blogging now and look at them.

 

 

 

Much Ado Monday

I’m a little early for All Much Ado All The Time, but yet, here I am.

And I just sat here staring at that sentence with no idea what to put next.  My plan had been to DEFINITELY write my blog post while on break at work, so I would only have to type it in.  Instead I studied my lines.  I hope nobody in the cast reads this, because they may wonder why I still don’t know my lines if I was studying them when I should have been writing.  Oh well, perhaps I know them better than I think I do.  We’ll see.

I mentioned yesterday that I got very little done over the weekend.  Among the chores still hanging over my head in a threatening fashion:  figure out and get together my costume for the Doodah Parade in Ilion on Friday,  find a few more costume pieces for my two characters in Much Ado About Nothing, finish learning my lines, unpaint my toenails, fix my work pants, wash my other work pants, clean my house, finish my container garden, work in my yard…

Why did I start listing those things?  Now I’m having a panic attack!  Not really, but it isn’t making my headache any better either.  And it isn’t making this blog post any more interesting.  Sorry about that.  However, there is not much I can do about it, because I have rehearsal tonight.  I have to look over my lines again.

 

Facial Reflections on a Monday

A couple of day ago, I typed part of a post in on (in on?  Is that right?) our tablet.  I lamented the difficulty of typing one letter at a time with the stylus, although it was kind of a fun game as well.  Today I post with a different difficulty.  I am sitting on my front porch and it seems the ambient light (I simply adore the word “ambient”) is not conducive. Superimposed on my computer screen is the wall of my house, a little bit of window, the mailbox, and my own ugly face.  Oh, I guess some people do not find it ugly.  Actually, my hair looks kind of cool.  But I digress.

I was determined that this shall not be another week of I Got Nuthin’ (ooh, just flashed on the song from Porgy and Bess, “I Got Plenty o’ Nothin'”).  For one reason, I am off work.  What else do I have to do but have Mohawk Valley adventures and write about them? Oh well, I guess a few things.  Laundry, finishing the banana play, learning my lines for Much Ado About Nothing, a few other assorted household chores… Ah, here we come to a truism of the Writing Life.  There are always things to do other than writing.

For example, what have I done today?  I took a lovely run, hung out with my husband till he had to go to stupid work, did several loads of laundry, including folding most of them, talked to my mother and one sister on the phone, started a letter to a friend (ooh! that was writing!), took the dog for two walks (three if you count the cool-down after my run) ,did the dishes… um, I think that was all.  Oh, all right I took a nap.  What’s your point?

The whole time I felt a dreadful resistance to writing.  This may have been pure laziness, and I tried to be firm with myself.  All I could manage was said letter to friend.  And how silly am I being?  If I truly could not progress on the banana play, I could have done a Running Commentary, a Pedestrian Post about either or both of the dog walks, or even a Preview of Coming Attractions about what I intend to do tomorrow and for the rest of the week.

And yet, here I sit, looking at my own face and getting eyestrain trying to see the words around it and just, well, typing.  The good thing is that my husband has now joined me.  I’ll read him what I have so far and see if he thinks it is OK and perhaps can help me think of a title.

 

When in Doubt, Eat Ice Cream

Once again I did not write a blog post while on breaks at work.  I spent my working hours thinking about my banana play and coming up with no ideas.  If I had picked up a pen to write, I’m sure all that would have come out was what a writing crisis I was having.  I worked on cryptogram puzzles instead.  On the brighter side, I solved one that had mystified me on several previous attempts.

I made a stop on the way home, but it was at a chain drugstore.  There is nothing wrong with picking up needed items at such a store, I suppose, but it hardly offers the Mohawk Valley cachet I seek for a blog post.  It has been a dreadfully hot day (I recently read somewhere that you should say “sweltering” instead of “very hot,” but I can’t say the day felt sweltering. At least I did not use “very” for once) and I was coated with sweat by the time I got home.  Still, I got right outside with my little dog, Spunky.  We did not take a walk, though.  It was more of a brief business meeting.  There was not a chance I was going for a run.  So a Pedestrian Post or a Running Commentary was not going to happen.

Getting on the computer, I stared at a blank screen for a while.  Nothing happened.  I went into Drafts and looked at a couple I never finished but thought I might some day.  Today is not the day.  I added a couple of sentences to one.  I am not displeased with either, but, well, they need work.  I pondered my future as a blogger.

Then my husband Steven said that after the show we were watching was over (a re-run of Snapped, incidentally), he was getting a bowl of ice cream, would I like one?  It is not a good way to meet my weight-loss goals, but as a boost to my spirits, it seemed the way to go.  I said yes.  That at least gave me a title.  While I waited for the episode of Snapped to end and Steven to get our ice cream, I typed in the first paragraph and a half of this post.  After savoring the Death By Chocolate (if they meant it literally, I would have died happy), I  wrote the rest.

We’ll call this a Monday Mental Meanderings, and perhaps tomorrow I will explain exactly how I think I am ever going to meet those weight-loss goals.

 

Murky Monday Meanderings

I am having the damnedest time making my blog post today.  I’m sitting here with my laptop on my lap, being partially distracted by an extremely cheesy true crime show on cable television, and beginning one post after another, none of them very good.

So what, I think to myself.  I can just do a Monday Mental Meanderings, also known as Yet Another Post About Why I Can’t Write a Post Today.  I was going to blame it on menopausal brain freeze (or is that brain fog?  You see what bad shape I’m in!).  I can’t remember why I decided against that course (see what I did just now?).

We went for a nice little walk with our new (to us) little dog.  We met a couple of neighborhood dogs with their person and said hello.  Spunky is much more interested in meeting other dogs than Tabby ever was.  Tabby preferred people or cats.  We only went around the block, but it was pleasant.   Alas, not eventful enough to warrant a Pedestrian Post.

I don’t even have great plans for the coming week, so I can’t do a Preview of Coming Attractions, either.  On the other hand, I do plan to run tomorrow.  I could do a Running Commentary.  How’s that for a plan?  Or perhaps I could try to write about some of the cheese I’m watching tonight.  Right now, I’m turning my foggy brain back to that.  Happy Monday, everyone.

 

Cluttering Up the Blogosphere

I am experiencing a definite Writer’s Block this afternoon.  It is Memorial Day.  I went for a run this morning during which I had some definite thoughts about what I would write in a blog post today.  Now I feel that (a) I am not going to say it right if I try and (b) it probably wasn’t that good of a thing to write about anyways.   But isn’t this always the way with me?  I have nothing wise or profound to say.  I’ll only clutter up the blogosphere.

Now that I say that I begin to have a complete crisis of confidence and think that clutter up the blogosphere is all I do anyways.    Then I say to myself, “Oh, quit fishing for compliments.”  That is kind of what we are doing when we share our crises of confidence.  We seek positive re-enforcement.  Sometimes a voice outside oneself is easier to believe, especially when it is something positive.

Oh dear, this is not the post I started out to write.  I only wanted one of my usual Why I Can’t Write a Post Today posts.  I didn’t mean to get into any of these sticky self-esteem issues.  I’ll stop that right now.  The fact that I hit Publish every day argues that I have some modicum of self-confidence at least.  As for cluttering up the blogosphere (you know, I really like that phrase), I remind myself that there is a lot of room on the internet.  There is room for profundity and there is room for foolishness.  As I always say, go with your strengths.

 

Made it through Monday

Subtitle: Oh Crap, I Still Have to Make my Blog Post!

It wouldn’t take a psychic to predict that I was going to be tired today.  Three shows, little sleep and lots of celebrating.  And I’m back on overtime.  I’m in quite the happy mood but just a little brain dead.  So let’s have some Monday Mental Meanderings and try for a Better Blog tomorrow.

Our place of celebration yesterday was Sorrento’s in Ilion, NY, an excellent Italian restaurant we have eaten at many times.  A number of people who had been in the audience at the matinee were also there.  They told us once again how much they had enjoyed the show.

After work today, I stopped at T & J’s Fruits and Vegetables in Herkimer to get salad ingredients, so I can continue to pursue my weight-loss goals.  I got some really tasty Roma tomatoes, a zucchini, a lemon, some radishes, sharp cheddar cheese and Italian bread.  The lemon, cheese and bread were not for the salad.  I put the bread in the freezer, and I’m drinking seltzer water with lemon as I type this.  I’m saving the cheddar for a treat.

Along with the tomatoes, zucchini and radishes, I put yellow onions and black beans in the salad, then poured in Italian salad dressing.  It’s the kind of dressing that comes in an envelope and you add oil and vinegar.  I use red wine vinegar.

Hmmm…. I’m thinking these are not really mental meanderings.  At least I mentioned two local businesses.  That must content me for today.  As I said, we’ll try for something better tomorrow.  Happy Monday, everyone.

 

Pre-Dress Panic Attack

Do you suppose anybody is getting tired of All Leading Ladies All The Time?  Do you suppose I care?  Well, of course I do.  One writes a blog for one’s readers as well as one’s self (oneself?).  One hates to be boring.  This one, at any rate.

As I have often observed, I can only write what comes out of my pen, and I am naturally obsessed with Leading Ladies these days.  We open Friday, and writing that down almost induced a panic attack.  Deep breath.  Didn’t help.

The phrase just entered my head, “This is MY show.” Only kind of, sort of.  Some people in the Ilion Little Theatre Club may refer to it as “Cindy’s show,” but in fact, it is really OUR show, meaning me, the cast and the crew.  In fact, let me take just a minute to give another shout-out to the cast and crew.  They are AWESOME!  And I don’t just say it because some of them might read this blog (or do I flatter myself?).

I will soon be hurrying to the theatre to do some last minute set things before our First Dress Rehearsal.  The actors have been wearing costumes here and there already, but tonight is a real Dress:  all costumes, all costume and set changes, curtains opening and closing, and no calling for lines. Yikes! My cast and crew are up to it!  They’re going to be great!

I guess this has not been a super exciting blog post and for that I am sorry.  I hope it is all right for a Monday Mental Meanderings.  Perhaps I can do better on Tired Tuesday.  At least I can report on how our First Dress goes.  For those readers who are not tired of All Leading Ladies All The Time.

 

Mired Meanderings

I’m not sure I can call this a Monday Mental Meanderings.  Meandering implies movement and I feel like a stuck lump.  No matter, post I must and so I will.

Today is the only day this week I do not have rehearsal, just to get back into All Leading Ladies All The Time mode.   I’m always so damn tired on Monday, largely because I do not lead a healthy lifestyle, especially on the weekend.  What I will do next week when I have rehearsal, I do not know (although no doubt I will write a blog post about it).

Steven drove me to work this morning and picked me up afterwards due to vehicle issues.  I suggested we make a couple of stops for props on the way home.  Alas, we did not stop at any distinctive local stores such as I love to mention in the blog.  A dollar store and K-Mart.  We were looking for a punch bowl and a couple of swords.  I’m afraid we are going to end up with something rather ridiculous-looking.  Then again, it is a comedy.  Perhaps we can get away with it.

Oh dear, I hope I have not given too much away.  I especially hope I have not given any local readers a distaste for the production and a disinclination to attend.  I can just hear somebody out there saying, “I’m not going to see THAT play!  I hear they have ridiculous-looking props!”  Or is that just my inner critic?  Sometimes it’s hard to tell.

So here I am, mired down in my theatrical problems and trying to make a blog post.  Will the blog posts get any better as the week wears on and I must run to rehearsal?  I hope everybody will stay tuned to find out.