Category Archives: personal

Lawn Order on Tired Tuesday

The first day of October in the Mohawk Valley ended up feeling remarkably similar to a typical August day: hot and humid.  It started out rainy and of moderate temperature.  I enjoyed a few flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder early this morning, but alas, storms ended and did not return.

Surprisingly,  the humidity did not really hit me till I left work shortly after three.  It is usually just as oppressive in that place as out.  Um, please note that I am NOT complaining!   I am grateful to have a job.  Not grovingly grateful, I hope.  OK, I’m complaining.  Do you have a problem with that?  Some people seem to.

Where was I?  Ah yes, sitting on my back deck, trying to enjoy the last gasp of summer, and rambling on in hopes of making some semblance of a blog post.  There is still quite a bit of humidity in the air, and the light is getting dusky.  Still, perhaps I can get a couple of pictures of my back yard, to document its progression.

They seem to have turned in quite a hurry.

What really prompted me to take pictures was noticing the red on the vines on our back fence.  They were all green the last time I saw them.  I took a shot of the vines on the broken side fence as well.

I’ve been meaning to fix that.

Does anybody recognize my caption as an homage to Sam the Eagle of the Muppets?

Another area that could use some fixing.

I wasn’t going to take a shot of this mess, but then I thought, why not?  It’s not as if I pretend to be somebody who has her act together, after all.  Additionally,  this can stand as a “Before” picture and inspiration for me to do better next year.

Everybody was chive talkin’.

I don’t know how well my chives show up.  I never did much with them this year, but this is only a small portion.  There is a patch of garlic chives right next to these as well as a large patch of the regular kind amidst the mess shown earlier.

So this is my Tired Tuesday post for the week.  I hope I am not too tired to think of a title.

 

Ragtime or Rocky?

Many of us begin thinking about the upcoming weekend on Monday.  Sometimes you have to.  Today I am thinking about Saturday night, because I had plans but got another offer.

My plan was to participate in Ritz and Ragtime at Rutger Park, a fundraiser for the Landmarks Society of Greater Utica. I will join other members of LiFT, Little Falls’ community theatre, dressing in 1920’s costumes and interacting with guests in a Prohibition Era setting. There will be music and drinks in a magnificent setting.  I have participated in this event before; it’s great.

Then I found out that the Capitol Theatre in Rome, NY is showing The Rocky Horror Picture Show!   An interactive screening in a magnificent setting!   I have only seen Rocky Horror on home video and, more recently DVD.  Friends have told me about the audience participation, but I have never witnessed it.  Additionally,  a couple of long time friends (no, they are not old!) are going.

I still plan to go to the fundraiser.  I think people are counting on me.  Full disclosure: I also have a fabulous new dress I am dying to wear.  However, if things were to change unexpectedly,  it’s nice to know I have options.  Also, if I really want to see Rocky Horror,  there will be another showing Oct. 13.  I would just have to find different friends to go with.

At any rate, if anybody says there is nothing to do around here, I fear they are just not paying attention.  Here are two great pieces of entertainment for one Saturday night!

Ritz and Ragtime at Rutger Park runs from 7 to 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 available through Eventbrite.  Rocky Horror Picture Show will be playing at the Capitol Theatre, 230 W. Dominick St., Rome, NY, at 10:30 p.m.   Tickets are available through romecapitol.com.

And for anybody who looked at the times of the events and is about to suggest I fly from Utica to Rome and take in both… Well, let’s just say that is probably not going to happen.

 

Apparently My Brain Would Die

Once again we did not watch enough movies for a Sunday Cinema post.  I had high hopes when we enjoyed  The Haunting (1963) fairly early on.

I had to scroll through my Media Library twice to find this.

I figured I might as well share a picture, to pep the post up.  After the movie we put it on Snapped while Steve fixed us some food, and we kind of got stuck on it.  Full disclosure: I’ve also been reading an Agatha Christie book.

A perennial favorite.

In the meantime, it is Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  I proudly posted on Facebook this morning my intention to be useless and not worry about it.  I was half right.  I was useless but a little worried about things I have not gotten done.  Perhaps I could still do something before bed.  Then again, I still haven’t finished that book…

Love the side eye.

There are also other movies to be watched. The Brain That Wouldn’t Die (1962) is what caught my eye first just now.

Is it clear by now that I am a little brain dead?  I took a decongestant earlier.  Drugs!  Either they don’t work at all, they work but dope me up, or they don’t work but still dope me up.  In this case, I feel marginally decongested as well as doped up, so I have to call it a win.

I am over 200 words, making my Sunday post on Sunday,  so I’ll call that a win too.  I hope to see you all on Monstrous Monday.

 

Beer, Wine, Pizza and a Late Blog Post

There I was, all pleased with myself for making Friday’s post on Friday,  and now here I am, making Saturday’s post on Sunday.  Raise your hands, everybody who saw that coming.  I, for one, did not.

Yes, every time I try to turn over a new leaf, I think I will succeed with no backsliding.  You would think experience would teach me something.  But there is no point in repining, nor in making another post lamenting the fact that it is late.  How about a fast Scattered Saturday post?

I went running early, before it was completely light out.  My two favorite times of day are when it’s not quite light and when it’s not quite dark.  It was not a long run, but it felt good.

After a shower and breakfast, I headed to New Hartford, NY, to Party City.  I did not find the 1920’s wig I sought (at least not for the price I was willing to pay),  but I bought a lot of other cool stuff. I went straight home, having enough time to write my post cards and get them to the post office before it closed.

The adventure of the day was going to Heelpath Brewing Company at the Frankfort Marina.  I shall certainly write more about that.  Then we went to Fratelli’s in Frankfort for some pizza , another place I’ve been meaning to check out.

That was enough excitement to give me a whanging headache, which was why I just couldn’t make my post.  Was it too much beer and wine?  Perhaps the combination of beer, wine, candy and pizza?  I will enjoy my pleasures in more moderation today and hope to make Sunday’s post on Sunday.

 

Lame Post-Rehearsal Post

Ooh, look at me, making my Friday Lame Post on Lame Post Friday.  Not that I have a lot to say.  Steve and I just got back from a rehearsal for Fabulous and Fatal, the murder mystery we are presenting as a fundraiser for the Herkimer County Historical Society on Oct. 18.  We have a really good cast!

Alas, I did not take pictures at rehearsal.  At least,  maybe it is not so bad, since we were not in costume, or even making lots of dramatic poses.  Perhaps I will have better photo ops at future rehearsals.  I mean, I know we will be more dramatic and perhaps be in costume.  I hope to successfully wield my Tablet at such a time.

In the meantime,  perhaps I could find pictures of previous mysteries in my Media Library.

A little bit of fabulous.

This is the first murder mystery we did for the society, Who Shot JS?  The fabulous woman in the foreground is in our current production,  as are a few of the folks in the background.

Now here’s a suspicious looking bunch!

Here is the cast of A G.R.A.V.E. Murder, one of my favorite titles and productions.

Fabulous and Fatal  will be presented at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18 at the Travel Lodge in Little Falls, 20 Albany St., Little Falls, NY.  Tickets are $30.  For more information,  contact the historical society at 315- 866-6413.

 

Fun Thursday at the End Zone

I see that last Thursday I did not blog about going out to eat.  Was it last Thursday?  Perhaps it was another day, and I am looking at the wrong blog posts.  My point is that one day recently,  I came home from work and Steven said, “I want to send out or go out for dinner,  and I said, “GO out!”

The same thing happened today.  We ended up at the End Zone Pub and Grub in Herkimer and had a very nice time.

We arrived about twenty till five, ordered wine and asked if the kitchen was open.  The owner told us it would be at five, when his son arrived.  We sipped our wine and bided our time.

Eventually I got a cheeseburger and Steven got chicken tenders with fries.  I helped him eat his fries.  While we sipped and ate, we talked about plays, movies, the Oscars, and playing darts.  Two other patrons were playing darts at the time.

As we left, I told the owner I wanted to get a picture of him and his son for a blog post some time.

“Do you want to do it now?” he asked, and called his son out.

The men responsible for our good time.

After I got that shot, I took a couple more.

My date for the evening.

 

The dart board.

I thought it made for a fun Thursday night.  One more work day to get through before the weekend!

 

Frankentree, Vampires and No Promises

OK, here I am, trying to get my writing mojo back.

And so far it is not going well.

I have found a good thing to do in these situations is to pep up the post with a couple of pictures. It would be nice if I had some new ones.  I wonder if there is anything handy I can shoot and post.  I am sitting on my front porch.  Not much to see here except the neighbors’ houses and Frankentree.

I have shared pictures of Frankentree before.  My current view of him does not really convey his full glory.  I shall share his most recent photo.

I think he’s cool.

We just moved in from the porch, so Steven can make my lunch (he’s a nice husband that way). I am certainly not going to take an pictures of my messy living room.  But I can share one I took previously.

Another cool inhabitant of my world.

Steven gave me this vampire for Christmas some years ago, and he has hung in our living room ever since.

Not my current view.

This is a picture from a previous year of Halloween decorating.  I include it in hopes of inspiring myself to clean up this house for the purpose of decorating now.  Perhaps I should finish this up and do a little work now.

No promises, of course.

 

 

Missing Mojo on Tired Tuesday

I had a vague idea of making a Running Commentary post today.  It was another reason to get myself out the door and moving.  I seem to have lost my running mojo without taking an extended break from it, as I have in the past.  I have run both weekend days every weekend within recent memory, until this past weekend.  Once again I have to ask, What the Hell, me?

Oh let’s be honest, I have lost all kinds of mojo lately: running, writing, housework, theatre… do I have any other kinds of mojo?  Unfortunately I do not see how I can write about my missing mojo without sounding like a whiny baby.  I don’t know why I worry so much about sounding like a whiny baby,  especially since that is what I must sound like more often than I admit.

Where was I? I sat down with my Tablet with all good intentions of making a Running Commentary post.  I guess the road to bad blog posts is paved with good intentions.  So here I am with yet another foolish blog post.

I point out to my vicious inner critic that I did run today, and for further than I thought I would (not a vast amount, but I did demonstrate perseverance) and I did a load of laundry.  And now I have done a blog post of at least 200 words.  Wasn’t I saying earlier this week that I must learn to write despite whatever is wrong with me?  It is true!  Mojo or no, I shall persevere!

 

Monstrous Me

I am having a Monstrous Monday.

I can explain.

Well, here are a couple of monsters of the human variety, my husband Steve and I.  I was clicking around on my Tablet, hoping to chance on “search the internet” and instead downloaded this.  These were taken last summer at the Great American Irish Festival in Frankfort, NY.  Regular readers may remember that I was there to perform with Mummers Along the Mohawk.

Not exactly monsters.

Here are some of the Mummers, at a rehearsal.  I never got any pictures of us in full costume.

My shape, if I don’t go back on the South Beach Diet.

I thought I would get back to regular monsters with one of our favorite monster movies, The Blob.  Steve McQueen,  what’s not to like?

“I still don’t know why they wanted me in this blog post.”

Regular readers were probably expecting to see Nosferatu. I just love this guy.  The caption references a lite beer commercial from the 1970’s.  A bunch of guys at a bar get into a big argument over what’s best about the beer.

“Tastes great!”  yell half the guys.

“Less filling!” yell the other half.

Then this lone guy says to the camera, “I still don’t know why they wanted me to be in this commercial.”

It makes me laugh to this day.  I suppose that falls under the heading It Takes So Little To Please Some People.  Oh well, at least somebody is pleased on Monstrous Monday.

 

Where’s That Chaise Lounge?

So I guess it’s going to be a regular thing, making Sunday’s post early Monday morning.  I don’t even have a lame excuse.  I was awake,  I was at home.  I just did not want to pick up  the Tablet or go to the computer and type.  I am having all kinds of trouble with all kinds of writing.  I can’t even finish a letter!  I know, poor, poor, pitiful me.  Go ahead and play the miniature violin or otherwise poke fun. I deserve it.

On the other hand, maybe yesterday was a supreme Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  Picture me, if you will, swooned in distress upon a chaise lounge, posed dramatically with the back of one wrist to my forehead.  It was all just too, too much for me.

As a matter of fact, I was on the couch, and full disclosure;  I wasn’t even swooned.  I was watching movies with my husband, and it really would have made a great Sunday Cinema post.  I must ask myself, what’s my problem?

And I have to answer: I do not know, but it seems I do have one.  For example, I could be searching pictures now and making that Sunday Cinema Post. But I’m not.  Perhaps what I need to do is to stop worrying about what my problem is and learn to write despite it.  That’s the plan for today.  We’ll see how well it works out when I make my Monday post later today (I HOPE not tomorrow morning, but no promises).