Category Archives: personal

I Would Feel Spunky If I Could Do Shakespeare Again

Last night, I told myself all I needed to do was make a Throwback Thursday Post. How hard could that be, I argued. Choose a couple of pictures, peck in a few words… that is, on my Tablet. Then I thought about how finicky my Tablet has been concerning my WordPress Media Library, and I was so tired anyways… So here I am, prior to five Friday morning, on my still-hanging-by-a-thread laptop, ten-finger typing, and waiting for coffee.

I must admit, I am enjoying the ten finger typing, and the coffee just showed up (Steve really is a very satisfactory husband). Let us see what I can do with the Media Library.

Adorable, yes?

I looked at March 2017 (the laptop behaving beautifully for the moment) and found this sweet picture of our dearly missed pooch, Spunky. I SO miss having a dog! My ambition is to get my house cleaned up and repaired so we can adopt another doggy friend. It is difficult as tired as I am these days, but I encourage myself to work a little at a time.

I MISS this!

I was looking for another canine photograph, but I can rarely resist a Theatre Throwback. This was an early rehearsal for The Tempest, as presented by LiFT, Little Falls Theatre Company in 2017. Too long ago! A few of us were meeting in early 2020, scheming how to bring Shakespeare back to Little Falls, but, alas, COVID intervened.

There’s no people like show people!

Here is a picture of one of our meetings, held at Meeples Mug House, which is also sadly departed (totally understood the proprietors’ reasons, but still sad).

Well, that was pretty easy, getting over 250 words (I may be over 300 by the end of this paragraph!). My headline suggested itself after I found the second picture. Does jumping subjects like this make this also a Non-Sequitur Thursday post? Discuss amongst yourselves.

(Yes, over 300 words. Teehee)

Yes! More Music!

It is a week of returns! Tonight my husband, Steve, and I returned to our favorite Wednesday night thing of going to Fratello’s Pizzeria in Frankfort, NY for food and music!

I had a cheeseburger, adding sauteed mushrooms and onions. Steven enjoyed a shrimp basket. And we grooved to the tunes of Mark Nanni!

He is multi-talented.

Full disclosure: this is a picture from a previous night when we heard Nanni. He plays guitar, keyboard, and accordion. We were loving it!

On previous Wednesdays we have been waited on by our favorite bartender, Toni. Tonight we had Kayla, who was also a delightful server. I admired her butterfly pen. She said she was into fun pens, and I said Toni was, too.

“She has a llama pen,” Kayla said.

“We gave it to her!” I said. I mentioned Toni’s mermaid tail pen.

“She stole it from me!” Kayla said. Now the truth comes out! Oh well, I have been known to filch a writing implement or two in my time.

We had a wonderful time. I was happy we returned to our favorite Wednesday night thing.

Fratello’s Pizzeria is located at 158 E. Main St., Frankfort, NY, phone number 315-894-8484. They are open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 1 to p.m. Sunday.

Oh Yeah, I Ran

I am uncomfortably aware that I have not posted since Friday (Saturday actually, since the post was late, but you see what I mean). The fact is, Saturday Running Commentary should have made a triumphant return. I ran on Saturday! And it was great! And I ran again on Sunday! And it was not so great!

Still, we could have had a triumphant return on Saturday, because we did not know then how Sunday was going to turn out. Perhaps it was not what others might consider a triumph anyways. To me, since I had not been running since January, any step was good. I set myself a goal of 20 minutes and ran for 24. Later I took a 20 minute walk. I was back on the road to fitness!

Sunday I felt less fit. I managed to run but let myself off the hook at seventeen and a half minutes. Still, I told myself, after two months off and being sick…

The problem was, my runs had irritated the fronts of my thighs so that going up and especially down stairs was torture. I whined and cried in a most unbecoming fashion. Monday I discovered a terrible shin splint in one leg. Any walking was rendered hideous. I had to say, what the hell, body?

I have stopped and restarted running any number of times since the late ’90’s. I have never suffered such pain. Could I be feeling my age? SAY IT AIN’T SO!!!

The shin splint was in abeyance today, so I tried to run again. I had to remind myself that I LIKE to run. I guess parts of the run were OK. I continued for a mere 17 minutes. As I started my cool down walk, a voice in my head kept saying, “Where is it written that I have to do a ten minute cool down walk?” This voice has questioned me before. I had to admit, she has a point.

I see I have blathered on for over 300 words (and my autocorrect seems to think “blathered” is not a word). I say pretty good for a Tired Tuesday. I hope I can continue to run. For one reason, it gives me something to blog about.

Lame Is As Lame Does

Have I used that title before? No matter. I typed it in and it stays. This is my sadly usual late Lame Post Friday post. I make no apologies but merely mention it in the interests of accuracy.

I have not had coffee yet but I think my lovely husband Steven is getting me some now. And, yes, I call him lovely largely because of the coffee. Ahh yes, here it is: the magic elixir that makes morning possible.

As I type this (one letter at a time with the stylus; I really must get a new laptop) (I certainly am a stickler for accuracy this morning), I contemplate the day ahead. I really want to do something other than sit around and watch movies. Of course that is a pleasant way to spend a Saturday or any available day, but today I want something more.

Here is a funny thing I add for entertainment purposes: when I typed in “that is a” my predictive text suggested ” horrifying thought.” I find that highly amusing. One woman’s pleasant is another’s horrifying thought. I can think of a few horrifying thoughts but will strive to stay positive.

My positive thought for this morning is that I will find something blogworthy to do today. Yes, I have a history of writing posts on arguably non-blogworthy subjects. However, I am no hand at argument. On the brighter side: I am over 200 words. Bring on Saturday!

What Kind of Wednesday?

How about a Wordless Wednesday Post? Oh yeah, as if I am ever wordless. I have always had a tendency to talk too much. Sometimes I have entertaining things to say, others not so much. Let me try for the former, with illustrations.

I wish!

We have enjoyed warm temperatures these last few days, and tomorrow is supposed to be even warmer. I am hoping to see some crocuses soon, although I’m afraid my lawn has too many of last year’s leaves in the way. However, I see brown leaves in this shot from March 2021, so I hold onto hope.

This doesn’t bode well.

Moving back to March 2020, I found several pictures with dark clouds. How appropriate for that benighted year. Benighted, by the way, is one of my favorite words.

That was as far as I got last night. I was looking for a picture from March 2019 and wondering if I shouldn’t bill this as a Wayback Wednesday Post (even a year ago can seem like way back) when my Media Library ceased to cooperate with me. So it became a Wuss-out Wednesday Post. It is early Thursday morning as I finish this, without coffee, by the way.

Suddenly I want to go for a walk.

Finally accessing March 2019, I find only one nature photograph. Bare tree, blue sky. I like it. It is symbolic of my brain, largely bare these days, yet retains that bit of optimism with the blue sky. I, too, strive to retain a bit of optimism.

At the beginning of this post, I hoped to entertain. I hit publish with the optimistic thought that I have (or once again, do I flatter myself?) and adjourn for a cup of coffee.

Who Me? Have a Bad Attitude?

I used to have a feature called Bad Attituesday. I am reviving it for today. Oh, am I ever in a rotten mood! And, you know, sometimes you just have to feel that way until you don’t feel that way any more.

It’s not that I have a good reason to feel that way. Yes, some things are bothering me. There is no point in listing them. For one reason, nobody wants to hear me bitch. Moreover, most people would read them and say, “That’s not so bad. What’s her problem?” I, on the other hand, might in the act of describing them become ever more incensed and convinced of the validity of my rotten mood.

Gee, that doesn’t paint me as a very good writer, does it, when the only person I can convince is myself. Although it does give me a bit of a laugh. That is my saving grace: I can usually laugh at myself.

Additionally, it seems that writing the preceding paragraphs has alleviated my rotten mood. I am not yet feeling jolly, but I am no longer at the teeth grinding stage.

So this is today’s blog post: a few words about my bad attitude with no useful insights. But at least I got to 200 words. And I guess it makes a change from Tired Tuesday.

Monsters for My Malaise

My foolish blog posts continue with another Monstrous Monday Post. I really want to start having and blogging about Mohawk Valley Adventures again, but it is really not going to happen today. I will try to cheer myself up with a few monsters from my Media Library.

“I love what you’ve done with the place!” said in a Transylvanian accent.

This is from Mark of the Vampire. I am too tired to look up the year and the name of Bela lugosi’s co-star. Or do I mean lazy? Let’s go with tired.

He is scary, yes.

I continue the Vampire theme with my favorite fiend, Nosferatu (1922). I did not have to look up the year. I remember it, because 22 is my favorite number.

“I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up!”

I could not easily find another vampire, so I went a different yet still related way. You see, the vampires are appropriate, because I am so tired, I feel the life has been sucked out of me, much as the blood is sucked out of the vampires’ victims. And here we have a skeleton, unable to raise himself from the grave, much as I am unable to pull myself out of my current malaise.

I seem to be getting profound, or do I flatter myself? No matter. I have reached 200 words and enjoy the hope that I have entertained at least some of my readers.

All the More Reason to Swoon

I have said that a Monday through Friday day shift schedule suits me. However, I confess to sometimes having a problem with Sundays, hence my feature Wrist to Forehead Sunday. For anyone just tuning in, this refers to the dramatic pose with which one swoons onto a chaise lounge or other handy faint-on-able surface. Before anybody starts playing the miniature violins or rolling their eyes, I KNOW this is what they call a First World Problem, and, yes, I laugh at myself for having it. For heaven’s sake, when I talk about swooning on chaise lounges, doesn’t that sound like I am making fun of myself? Sheesh!

I just searched my Media Library looking for an illustration of me with my wrist on my forehead. I thought I had one. This gives me even more reason to swoon! Or I could just get over myself.

It has not been too bad of a weekend. The weather disappointed, but you’ll have that. I disappointed myself by not getting much done. That you will also have. I feel sure that the best thing to do in these situations is to try to do better going forward.

That was frustrating. I tried again to find the picture I wanted, failed, settled on another picture, and could not get it into the post! My only comfort is that I am over 200 words. Will I make a better blog post tomorrow? I hope you will tune in and fond out.

Not 200 Words

Sensible cities: Cancel the St. Patrick’s Day parade in this horrible weather!

Utica, NY: Hold my green beer.

That was a comment I made on a Facebook post by my husband. He was praising Utica for being bad-ass and holding their parade in a snow storm. We sat home and watched the coverage by WKTV News.

That is really pretty much all I have in the way of a Saturday blog post. And I am, in point of fact, making this post Sunday morning, an hour later than I feel it ought to be (I hate Daylight Savings Time). I think I will not even worry about getting to 200 words.

Lame for the Deadline?

Here is Yet Another Late Lame Post Friday Post. It is almost another feature here at Mohawk Valley Girl. I am feeling sad this particular Saturday morning, because the winter storm the weather forecasters threatened seems to be materializing. It’s not that I do not enjoy a Saturday spent at home, I do. But I need to have some Mohawk Valley Adventures!

Regular readers may remember that I write for Mohawk Valley Living magazine. I got the gig because Sharry Whitney, one of the publishers, read my blog. Every month I try to come up with something, sometimes coming embarrassingly close to the last minute.

Last month I had nothing, due to being sick. I am kind of sort of recovered now but have yet to return to my adventuresome ways. What to do?

I do have one or two places I could write about, places I have been to prior to getting sick. But I always like to visit a place just prior to writing. Then again, perhaps that is just me wanting to go out to eat or shop.

It is easy to beat myself up for not planning ahead, but no amount of planning would have made me recover from COVID any quicker. Then again, a certain amount of planning might have helped me get my article written despite COVID. Perhaps I can plan to do better in the future.

In the meantime, I am over 200 words. I guess I’ll call this a post.