Category Archives: Wuss Out Wednesday

Stylus Typing on Wuss-out Wednesday

It seems as if I just recently took a Blogger’s Sick Day, but I can’t find the last one by scrolling through my posts.  Then again, if I’m not feeling well, how can I trust my scrolling and looking abilities?  Never mind.  I like to be a daily blogger, so I will attempt to make some semblance of a post.

And that was where my laptop froze up.  Twice.  So now I’m on my Tablet, typing one letter at a time with the stylus.  As usual, I am fascinated by the anticipatory thing.  But it’s no way to write.

Who doesn’t love a cute, cuddley vampire?

I try to pep things up with a picture.  My dear friend Marsha sent me the pot recently.  My husband,  Steven, gave me the vampire in a coffee mug (I think I used a picture of it a day or two ago).

Here he is!

Today I am not a morning, afternoon, or evening person.  But I have another new Halloween picture to share.

I love a business that decorates!

I took this picture at White Rose Bakery in Little Falls, NY.  I was writing a story for Mohawk Valley Living magazine.  I hope they print it.  However, I knew they wouldn’t use this picture,  because the story is for the November issue.

This stylus typing is not for me.  But at least I made some semblance of a post.

 

Wednesdays are Murder

Shall we blame this on menopausal brain fog, seasonal allergies, or, well, me?  The fact is, after Monstrous Monday and Tired Tuesday, today is Wuss-out Wednesday.  But perhaps I can give another plug to A Trivial Murder, the interactive dinner theatre to benefit Herkimer County Historical Society.  I just got back from another rehearsal.  I need to learn my lines.

The setting is a special taping of “Who Knows Herkimer History?” that popular game show, with our new host, Gary “Herk” Henderson.  The previous host, Jack German, died under mysterious circumstances, but let us not allow such gloomy thoughts to intrude. Tonight is also exciting, because of our returning champion, Ned Frances, who has been winning for an unprecedentedly long time.  Will someone cut off his winning streak?  Will our glamorous Prize Girl, Scarlett Scarsdale, be awarding cash and prizes to a new champion?  According to producer Evelyn Moore, our resident historian, Dr. D. Devonshire, has promised some tough questions.  All the excitement will be recorded by Bernie Woods, writer for Game Show Gambit magazine.  Things will be started soon by our announcer, Rod Toddman.

How does that sound for program notes? I think I’ll email it to the historical society and see what they think.  In the meantime, local readers might like to make reservations for the show:  Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018, 6 to 8 p.m. at Ilion Moose Lodge, 302 Barringer Rd., Ilion, NY, doors open at 5 p.m. $25 per person for turkey dinner and the show.  For reservations, contact the society at 315-866-6413.  For more information, consult the Facebook event.

 

Well, What Do You Do with Bread?

Under the heading, Things That Go Through My Head While I’m Running:  I read a quote a long time ago, not attributed to anybody, “If you have two loaves of bread, sell one and buy violets for your soul.” I pondered that thought, liked it, and considered posting it as a Facebook status when I got home.  Immediately I thought, if I did that, somebody would not doubt comment, “If you have two loaves of bread, give one to the poor.”  Somebody always has to be that way.

In fact, when I have two loaves of bread (and I often do), I selfishly put one in the freezer for later.  Then again, how many violets can I realistically expect to buy for what I usually pay for a loaf of bread, much less what I might sell a loaf of bread for.  Who’s going to buy a loaf of bread from me, anyways?  Anyways, I don’t eat a lot of bread.

As I type this, I remember there is a non-perishable food drive for veterans at my place of employment.  I’d better grab a few cans to bring in.  But no bread, that’s perishable.

So this is my Wuss-out Wednesday post.  I had intended to make a running commentary; I really did go running and think the first paragraph.  However, before making my bog post, I had to do the final edit and polish of my murder mystery script and get it emailed out to my cast.  I still have to print out hard copies for myself and a couple others, but I can do that before rehearsal tomorrow.

In the meantime, I ponder my conundrum:  violets for my soul or bread for the poor? Discuss amongst your selves.

 

Judge If You Want: It’s Wuss-out Wednesday

Sorry, folks, it’s Wuss-out Wednesday.  What little writing I managed at work today was on the next murder mystery.  I went to the Salvation Army Thrift Store in Ilion, NY, after work, looking for something I could modify into a 1920’s dress for an upcoming fundraiser.  I thought I could do a post about the shopping or about the fundraiser.  I could even do a post about the problems I am having writing and casting the murder mystery (one effects the other, you know).  I find I can’t.  I need my time sitting on the couch, knitting, and watching television.

Oh dear, it might have sounded better if I said something like, “I need my time for me” or “I need time to rest, relax and renew.”  Well, judge me if you like;) I know some of you will anyways) (you know who you are) (oh, what do I care if people judge me?  Don’t we all judge each other sometimes?) (Oh, I suppose YOU never do!) (again, you know who you are).

Where was I?  Ah yes, posting quickly so I can pick up my knitting needles, not to mention a glass of wine (again, judge if you are so inclined).  The important points about today:  I worked a little on my murder mystery.  I am having problems gathering a cast.  I shopped at the Thrift Store.  I have a fundraiser coming up with a 1920’s theme.  I hope to expand upon all these topics in future blog posts.

I hope your mid-week is going well.

 

Up Next: Murder Most Trivial

I went to work this morning determined to write on breaks and lunch, as well as right before the first buzzer rings.  I usually get to work early.  I used to always write my blog post at that time. Did I do so this morning?  Alas, no.  What the hell happened to me?

However, the news is not all bad.  While I was working, I got a couple of good ideas for my next murder mystery.  I quickly jotted them down when I got a chance.  I was mysteriously unable to write any more, but one does what one can.  Herkimer County Historical Society, beneficiary of the murder mystery, had asked for the premise and title for their Facebook page.  I thought I could manage that much.  This is what I messaged them:

The title of the mystery is “A Trivial Murder.” We’re all here for a taping of the game show, “Who Knows Herkimer History” with our host, Gary “Herk” Henderson. Gary is actually the new host. The original host died under mysterious circumstances, but let us not allow such gloomy thoughts cloud our evening! You should also just ignore those rumors that our returning champion has been given the answers in advance. There’s no scandal here! That journalist is here to do a puff piece, not a muck raking scandal-monger.

Looking over it again, I see where it could be improved.  And improve it, I will!  But not for this blog post.  For one reason, this is Wuss-out Wednesday, and I am only slightly less brain dead than I was yesterday (which I just now realize I should have categorized under “Tired Tuesday”) (another indication of my brain dead condition).  Then again, slightly less is still less.  I bet I’ll have that murder mystery finished in no time!  Can better blog posts be far behind?

 

Add Monsters and Stir. I Mean, Hit Publish

How about some Mid-Week Monsters?  It’s a new feature, for when I forgo Monstrous Monday.  It is, in fact, another Pre-Rehearsal Post (I guess that could be a category, too), because we are soon to leave for rehearsal for Donate to Murder, the murder mystery dinner theatre LiFT, Little Falls Theatre Company, is presenting at Herkimer Elks this Saturday, Sept. 15.  Steven and I are wearing our costumes, although I do not have pantyhose on (I’m certain my character would wear pantyhose).  Also, I could not find my grandmother’s pearls, which I thought would work for my character (full disclosure: they are not real pearls, but they look nice).  Luckily I have TONS of beads, vintage and otherwise.

What a long first paragraph.  I do babble on, don’t I?  I thought this was going to be a monster post.  Let’s see what I can find.

Not the best depiction of Julia Adams, but a pretty cool poster nonetheless.

Look, I can also include a foreign language lesson.  Sometimes I can so multi-task (although most days I barely manage just to task).  Steven and I just watched Creature from the Black Lagoon on Sunday.  Perhaps you read my blog post in which I mentioned it.  And while we’re visiting foreign countries…

I think this one has better artwork, but I like the lettering in the Spanish version.

And look at me, over 200 words on a Wuss-out Wednesday (I guess this post fits multiple categories).  I do like to include three pictures, so I will pull something from my Media Library.

“Love! Exciting and new!”

I never knew the Creature guest starred on The Love Boat. I suppose he is quite an actor. Perhaps I could use him in a murder mystery sometime.

 

All Wet on Wednesday

Feeling yet unable to write a real post and noting that I did not indulge in a Monstrous Monday, I thought I would let a few of our creepy friends cheer me up a little.  Since I adore alliteration (see what I did there?), I declare today Watery Wednesday and I search for creatures from the deep.  Or even the shallow, to match my mind.

“Oh, THAT’S where I left my lady in a bathing suit!”

Who doesn’t love Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)?  Oh, I suppose YOU don’t (you know who you are).  Julie Adams (pictured here with the green guy) (I’m guessing he’s green; the movie was black-and-white) is one of my Likes on Facebook.  She comes across as a very gracious lady.

“Am I interrupting?”

Less gracious but still all wet is the title character from JAWS (1975). I loves me some JAWS.

The alligator is off camera asking his agent why he isn’t in this shot.

This is Lake Placid (1999), a movie I really like.  I was looking for a shot of the alligator but could not find one.

My mood is, alas, not improving, so I shall close with a darker but still wet movie.  Carnival of Souls (1962) begins with a rather horrifying scene involving a muddy river.

 

The look on her face is about how I feel.

I got this shot from a Facebook page about the movie, https://www.facebook.com/carnivalofsouls1962/.  I like to give credit whenever I use it.

So it seems I am having a Wuss-out Wednesday after all.  These things happen to a daily blogger, at least to this one.  As always, I hope you’ll stay tuned.

 

Blog Post to Murder?

So we just had our first rehearsal for Donation to Murder.  At least, I think that is the title we agreed on.  How embarrassing that I do not know for sure, and how really embarrassing that I did not have a definite title when I wrote it.  Titles are hard.  Some writers know all about titles.  I know one fellow who told me that everything he ever wrote had a specific title that had a special meaning. Then again, I never read anything he wrote and have reason to believe he was NOT as good a writer as he believed himself to be.  That is neither here nor there.

As a matter of fact, I still do not have a lot of details on the murder mystery that will be presented at Herkimer Elks Lodge on Sept. 15, 2018.  I thought I would find out some stuff at today’s rehearsal, but we were so busy talking about our characters, costumes, props, and the script, that other details just kind of got lost.  These things happen, I suppose

In the meantime, it is Wuss-out Wednesday, so I guess this is my wuss out post.  I had fun at rehearsal and am mostly looking forward to less humidity tomorrow, which several meteorologists have promised me.  Meteorologists have disappointed me before.  Maybe next I shall write a murder mystery about a blogger who murders a weather predictor.

 

Good-Buy to Books

This afternoon instead of having a Mohawk Valley adventure I could blog about, I spent some time routing around in the extremely messy room we call our library looking for books to donate.  As a result, in lieu of my expected (by me anyways) Wuss-out Wednesday post, I will give a brief plug to a community event I hope to go to on Saturday, a book sale hosted by the Herkimer County Historical Society.

The sale will also include history books from the society’s gift shop — I KNOW there are one or two of those I want but have not purchased yet — and post cards — regular readers may recall that I love to send people post cards.  The society has been on Facebook asking for donations.  Of course I love my books.  I like to own books and re-read many of them multiple times.  On the other hand, I have a lot of books.  I seek out book sales, used and new book stores, rummage sales, thrift stores, anywhere you can buy books. And sometimes people give me books they’ve finished with that they think I might like (or that they just want to get rid of).  I LOVE BOOKS, there, I’ve said it.

So I gathered a few books to donate.  Some thrillers, some romance novels, a couple of true crime stories… Steven will bring them to the society tomorrow, I think.  The sale will be Saturday, Aug. 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Eckler Building, 406 N. Main St., Herkimer, NY.

My only worry now is that I will return from the sale with more books than I donated.  These things happen.  In the meantime, I may try to do something about that extremely messy room, because, you know, removing those books to donate did not help much.

 

Can Hercule Poirot Solve My Doodah Dilemma?

It is Wednesday, isn’t it?  It’s that day when you want to be happy that there is only one more day between you and Friday (if you are fortunate enough to have weekends off, which I do and I am grateful for) (don’t hate me if you don’t), only you’re not, because you just realized you ARE going to do a theatre thing on Friday that you thought you were not going to do, so you only have one day to get a costume together.

Yes, it’s always drama with me.  It’s not even a real theatre-y thing I have to do: merely, Ilion Little Theatre is marching in the Doodah Parade as part of Ilion Days on Friday, July 20.  I don’t even have to march: my friend Kim said I could ride in the truck.  I don’t even have to wear a costume.  I could wear my t-shirt from Roxy, a play I was in a few years ago (perhaps you read some of my blog posts about it).  However, I am the sort of person that when I CAN wear a costume, I DO.

What to wear, what to wear, what to wear?  Something bold enough to show up as a costume from the truck, but something light enough to not kill me in 88-degree weather.  Maybe a hat.  Maybe an umbrella.  I’d like to wear my tiara, but I don’t have a fancy dress.  I have one day to get to a thrift store!  How do I get myself into these things!

In the meantime, I just spent some two hours sitting crocheting and watching Murder on the Orient Express (1974) with my husband, Steven.  I can’t even begin to tell you how delighted I was that I could work on an afghan in comfort, in between hot flashes, even if I had to have the fan on me to do it.  At least I can pep up my Wuss-out Wednesday post with a picture.

Hercule Poirot tells them what’s what.

This was the first star-studded Agatha Christie romp Steven and I enjoyed together, back in the 1990’s.  He had seen it in the theatre when it came out in 1974.  We need to see the newer Kenneth Branagh version.  Perhaps I’ll write a blog post about it when we do, although I usually write about older movies, preferably the cheesy sort.

In the meantime, I see I am close to 400 words.  That’s respectable for a blog post, especially on Wuss-out Wednesday.  Anyways, now that the movie is over, I have to get back to having my panic attack over what I’m going to wear to the Doodah Parade.