Category Archives: personal

Oh Yeah, Right; I’m Supposed to Write!

Posted on March 24, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

Oh crap, crap, crappety crap, this week is taking forever!  Yes, my Monday post was ridiculous and today is going to be Wuss-out Wednesday.   I’m only surprised I managed to avoid Bad Attituesday.

As I worked at my job today (lots of time for thinking at my job), I thought about the play I am directing and the murder mystery I am organizing.  I came up with a whole new plan for a scene in the play.  Well, perhaps not a whole new plan, but a change in the blocking that I think will really work.  I also spent some time thinking about how I used to think about my blog posts or my novel while I worked, and then I would spend my break time writing.  I spent my break time today solving cryptogram puzzles.  I love solving cryptogram puzzles.

So what’s this all about, I ask myself.  How is it that I have stopped writing?  Not entirely, of course, but I have slowed way down.  I suppose it is because I am busy with not one but two plays (yes, one is just a murder mystery dinner theatre; THANK GOD it’s not another full stage production!).   And I am on overtime.  And I need my sleep.  I am not a young woman any more (YES, it was a LONG time ago I was a young woman, what’s your point?).

Regarding those profitless questions I referred to on Monday, one might be Why do I do this?  I don’t know how profitless it is, but I think the answer is clear.  I cling to my daily blog, because it is one bit of writing that I do every day.  As long as I am writing SOMETHING, there is still a chance that I will write more.  Maybe even something good.  Hope to see you all on Non-Sequitur Thursday.

 

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Ah Yes, About the Bald

Posted on March 23, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

I have not given a bald update in a while.  Regular readers may remember that I have signed up to participate in a St. Baldrick’s Foundation fundraiser. That means I get my head shaved after asking my friends and family to donate money.

Money raised goes to fund children’s cancer research.  I do it to honor my Aunt Carlyn.  Of course, she was not a child when cancer took her from us, but I feel sure she would support the cause.  I chose St. Baldrick’s because, well, I wanted to be bald for a good reason.

Being me, I have to second guess my choices. Is this just another way to call attention to myself?  A good way to sleaze a free haircut? Well, it isn’t exactly free, because Steven and I donated on my fundraiser page too.  I suppose it is a way to get a haircut without having to decide how to cut it and with no point in worrying if it is not the most flattering (although at least one man said I was beautiful after I did it last time).

As I write this, I begin to feel feel that this second guessing is just more of those profitless questions I was writing about yesterday.  I decided to do this, and it is a goodthing to do. I will wear my bald head proudly, in solidarity with cancer patients everywhere.

If anybody would like to join me in my bald endeavor, they can visit the St. Baldrick’s website at http://www.stbaldricks.org/. If you are not local, you can type in your zip code andfind an event near you.  If you are local, please consider becoming bald with me on Sunday, April 10, at Arthur’s in Dolgeville, NY.  If you don’t care to be bald, you can still come to Arthur’s that day. They are donating a percentage of food and beverage sales that day to St. Baldrick’s.  If you would just like to make a donation, my participant page is https://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/mypage/813330/2016.

 

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But Is It a Profitless Post?

Posted on March 22, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

I have two let-myself-off-the-hook features for Monday:  Middle-aged Musings Monday and Monday Mental Meanderings.  Well, today I feel that I have no mental facilities for musingn or yet meandering.  This often happens to me (you may have noticed).  And yet, I never let it stop me from making a post daily.  Sometimes I wonder if that is really the best thing to do, but in general I find such questions profitless.

Ooh, that might be something to ponder on a Monday:  profitless questions.  Why do we continue to ask them?  Because we want answers?  Because we want that frisson of superiority that comes from asking somebody a question they cannot answer?  That second motive is not very praise-worthy.  However, some people, it must be admitted, get their jollies by trying to make others look stupid.  Incidentally, anybody who is thinking to try that shit on me, be advised, it’s no great feat to make me look stupid; I do it all the time myself.

Here is a better query:  What makes a question profitless?  The fact that it cannot be answered? Philosophers everywhere would disagree.  They LOVE asking unanswerable questions.  They do not find them profitless (although I’m not sure there is a whole lot of profit in philosophy; I don’t really know about these things).

I think what makes a question profitless is that the answer, if there is one, doesn’t do you a whole lot of good. For example, in many cases the question “How did this happen?” is not nearly as useful as “What do I do now?”  The question, “Should I continue to make a daily blog post even if I have nothing in particular to say?” is quite profitless, because I intend to keep posting every day no matter how one answers.  So there.

And this is today’s post.  Happy Monday, everyone.

 

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A Pause for Coffee

Posted on March 21, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

I interrupt my Wrist to Forehead Sunday for a brief shout-out to a VERY local business: The Locavore in Frankfort, NY.

There I was, on my way home from church in Chadwicks, during which my delightful year-old great-nephew declined to sit on my lap, pondering my actions for the rest of the day.  I felt sluggish and down (you know, Wrist to Forehead Sunday and all).  I thought a cup of coffee might perk me up. Then I remembered:  Higby Road takes me right into Frankfort. I could go to The Locavore for an awesome cup of coffee!

The Locavore has all kinds of locally made products. I considered purchasing soap, honey, cheese, meat and other stuff, but ultimately decided just to get coffee.

The proprietor of the establishment remembered me from previous visits but remarked he had not seen me in a while.  I said I never went anywhere, and he said that was a lousy excuse.  He was quite right, of course.  I told him about all my theatre commitments, which he was interested to hear.

After some debate I decided on… oh crap, I can’t remember the name of the coffee.  But it was YUMMY!  There are several different kinds of coffee, both iced and hot. I had the LocaMocha another time and loved it.

The Locavore only recently started opening on Sundays.  I asked what time they are open till, because Steven works till one.  I was thinking maybe we would make it a thing to go out for fancy coffee after work on a Sunday.  Then I could try all the coffees.

The Locavore is located at 159 E. Main St., Frankfort, NY, phone number 315-895-0325. You can Like them on Facebook.  I did.

 

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Come See the Show!

Posted on March 20, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

How about another plug for the murder mystery?  We had another rehearsal today, and it went very well.  We rehearsed in the venue in which the performance will take place, so that was helpful.  The only problem was, did we have the right actors?  My husband, Steven, is no longer certain he has the performance date off from work.  I have another actor who is interested but…

Ah, the trials and tribulations.

Anyways, we all met at Morning Star Methodist Church, on Second Street in Ilion, NY, where the performance will take place.  One member of the church board is a performer in the mystery.  Another is our liaison. The latter was quite adamant in not wanting to witness the rehearsal.  She wanted to see it “for real.”  I say, good idea.

I think the actors are doing a marvelous job at developing their characters and building relationships with each other.  I can’t say too much specific, because, well, I don’t want to spoil anybody’s surprise.  After all, if you already know that A thinks THAT of B, and that C was suspected of THIS… already I’ve said too much.

I said this was going to be a plug, so let me re-iterate:  “Engaged to be Murdered, ” Morning Star Methodist Church,  36 Second St., Ilion NY, Saturday, April 2, 5 p.m.,  $20 for roast pork dinner and show, reservations required by March 31 by calling the church office, 315-894-4093.

Come see the show! It’ll be fun!

 

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Lame a Little Lame with Me

Posted on March 19, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

Oh dear it is after 8 p.m. and I have yet to make my blog post.  I knew I would regret it when I did not type something in earlier.  Well, these things happen.  If I had made my post earlier, who is to say it would not have been even more lame than whatever I am about to come up with now?  I say it is best not to speculate upon such profitless topics.

So, yes, today is Lame Post Friday, the day when I take it easy an do not apologize for it.  I particularly like to indulge in random observations and half-baked philosophy.  Did I make any observations today? I saw a lot of weather.  First fog, then rain, then sun, then snow, then sun again, then gloom.  I am reminded of the old Popeye cartoons, when Popeye would try to make small talk.  He would say, “Large weather we’re having.”  It never worked very well as an ice breaker, but that hardly mattered.  We were all just waiting for him to eat some spinach and kick some ass.

I fear I do not have any philosophical comments to make.  Could I possibly become philosophical about not being philosophical?  I’m thinking not, but I’m wondering if any of my readers are named Phil.  Or Sophocles.  Is anybody named Sophocles anymore?  Was anybody ever named Sophocles after, you know, Sophocles?

And one final observations (not so random, but what are you going to do?):  I have a definite tendency to spell if “Sophoclese.”

 

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Whine, then Run, then Wine

Posted on March 18, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

As I was leaving work this afternoon, I said to my friend, “When I get home, should I go running or have a beer?”

“Go running,” she said.

I usually take the stairs down, but I got on the elevator with her to argue the point.  “Or I could have a glass of wine,”  I suggested.

“Go running,” she said.

“That sounds good,” a guy said.

“The run or the beer?” I said.

“The glass of wine,” he said.

“I’m going to take his advice,”  I told my friend.  “He is obviously much better at giving advice than you are.”

When I got home, I put on my running clothes and went running.  I thought that after I ran a beer or a glass of wine would be a fitting reward.  I thought of the headline as I was running.  In fact, I have been whining all day.  Don’t judge.

It was not a long run but it was also not a bad run. The temperature was warm with a pleasant breeze, perfect for my pace.  A few drops of rain fell while I was out there, but I did not let it deter me.  The sun came back out as I walked my cool-down. I can’t say my body particularly enjoyed the run, but as usual I was glad I had gone.

As you can see, I am not writing a full-blown Running Commentary post.  The fact is, I’m still not feeling 100 percent, and I have one more chore to take care of before I’m done for the day.  Hope to see you all on Lame Post Friday.

I still haven’t gotten my glass of wine yet.

 

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But Is It Post Ironic?

Posted on March 17, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

It is the damnedest thing that one day you can take a daytime cold medicine and it takes the edge off your symptoms and it doesn’t particularly dope you up, then the next day you take the same damn medicine and you are high as a kite for the rest of the day. Only it’s not as much fun as, for example, the drugs all the college kids were doing in the ’70s (to be exact, I was in high school in the ’70s, and I did not do drugs, but I’ve heard).

I wasn’t really as high as a kite. I’m quite sure I was not a danger to myself or others, at least, no more so than I normally am.  I guess “high as a a kite” was a poor characterization, as well as one of those cliches we writers are supposed to avoid like the plague.  I should say “like the proverbial plague.”  I have mentioned in the past that one can transform a cliche into a hip, post-ironic turn of phrase with the addition of the word “proverbial.”   I don’t know if that is true or not, but if you call me on it, I will accuse you of being neither hip nor post-ironic.

As many readers have by now guessed, today is Wuss-out Wednesday.  I spent the morning feeling sorry that I went home early on Friday.  Who knew I was going to feel even worse today?  I suppose I could have guessed it.  I bet some of you did.  As the morning wore on, I did not feel so horribly horrible, so that was all right.  However, I had no wherewithal with which to write a blog post.

Now I am trying to type in something, anything, while I wait for Steven to get home from work.  We have rehearsal again tonight.  I hope my brain returns in sufficient force that I will be able to act like a director (get it?  We’ll be in the theatre for a play rehearsal.  I will ACT like the director, a little play within the play) (or maybe a play on words) (OK, no more cold medicine for me).

 

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How About Edward G. Robinson?

Posted on March 16, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

I don’t want to say I’m feeling old (at least, no older than I actually am) (in dog years) (just kidding!), but recently I have felt somewhat… dated.

It started at the read-through for Leading Ladies.  I told one of the actors who will portray a man dressed as a woman that when he was a woman, I wanted Rosalind Russell.

“He doesn’t know who Rosalind Russell is,” Steven told me.

What’s this?  A drama person who hasn’t seen Auntie Mame?  Say it ain’t so!  Of course it is so.  Luckily the actor understood what I wanted from the gesture I made when I said it.  However, I felt a point had been made about generations and different frames of reference.

I don’t want to telegraph any jokes, in case this is read by people who might come see the play (Come see the play!), but there is a reference to a Marlon Brando imitation.  I thought to myself,  “I’ll have to tell the actor involved that it is not Marlon Brando in The Godfather but Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire or On The Waterfront.”  Then I remembered that The Godfather was in the ’70s, not a recent movie this young person was likely to have seen.  (Full disclosure:  I haven’t seen The Godfather either; I just know Marlon Brando was in it and he was a lot older than he was in the other two movies.)

Anyways, I don’t know why it’s a Marlon Brando imitation anyways.  I think James Cagney or Humphrey Bogart would be better.  And I don’t mean James Cagney in Yankee Doodle Dandy or Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (yes, I’ve seen both those movies).

Yes, I can direct a play without resorting to references to old movies.  And, no, I did not see these movies first run at the theatre.  Any other questions?

 

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About that Murder Mystery

Posted on March 15, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

Murder is on the menu when the Morning Star Methodist Church in conjunction with Ilion Little Theatre presents “Engaged to be Murdered,” an interactive dinner theatre, on Saturday, April 2 at 5 p.m. at the church located at 36 Second St., Ilion. Tickets are $20 and include the performance and dinner. Reservations are required by March 31 by calling the church office at 315-894-4093.

“Engaged to be Murdered” takes place at the party celebrating the upcoming nuptials of society girl Genevieve Raglan to handsome up-and-comer Luke Donovan.  Representing Genevieve’s family are her elegant parents, Eliot and Marseille (it’s pronounced mar-SAY) Raglan, her glamorous Aunt Theodora, and family matriarch Grandma Nell.  Luke is accompanied by his father, cattle rancher Harry Donovan.  Also present, although nobody is sure who invited her, is ne’er-do-well Cousin Randy Raglan. All of these people have secrets to hide, and the audience will have a chance to ferret out the clues and try to solve the mystery.

That is from the press release I wrote for the murder mystery Ilion Little Theatre is putting together for the church’s fundraiser.  I had meant to copy the whole thing for today’s blog post, but, well, my desk top would not cooperate.  I managed to copy the first paragraph and half of the first sentence of the second paragraph.  Now I am on my new laptop, trying to remember the rest of it.

I think I have included all the relevant information.  My press release went on to toot my own horn as the writer. I figured the papers, if they used the release at all, would cut that part out.  Therefore, I shall feel free to cut it out now.  Local readers may like to come see the performance. I understand the dinner is roast pork.  Yum!

 

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