Tag Archives: Ilion NY

Post Rehearsal Post

Here is a rare post-rehearsal post, because I do not have to go to work tomorrow, so I do not feel I should hurry to bed (I don’t think that’s a run-on sentence, but I am too lazy to diagram it and see).  I spent the day at work assuring myself I felt Less Crappy.  Yes, I used capitals.  I do that sometimes when I am telling myself things.  Don’t you?  If not, I recommend you try it.  It sometimes has an impact.

It is probably clear by now that I have not much to say but am merely posting because I can, and to keep from being two posts behind.  If I make two posts tomorrow, a feat well within the realm of possibility, I shall be caught up.  Blogwise, anyways.  As far as my life goes, no promises.

Regular readers may remember that I am in rehearsals for Morning’s at Seven at Ilion Little Theatre.  It is a charming play first presented in 1938.  The plot concerns four sisters, three of whom live right next door to each other.  I grew up with three sisters (um, four girls, counting me), so I feel I can understand the characters.  Of course, it is not an exact parallel, because I also have a brother, which the sisters in the play do not.  Also, in the play, the youngest sister is the maiden aunt, who lives with one of the sisters and her husband.  Also, one of the sisters has a 40-year-old son, who has been engaged for five years and just can’t seem to commit.

I don’t think I am describing  the play very well.  It is actually very funny, touching and sweet. I totally recommend local readers come and see it.

Performances are April 26, 27, and May 3 and 4 at 7:30 p.m., and April 28 and May 5 at 2 p.m., at Ilion Little Theatre, 13 Remington Ave, Ilion.  For more information or for reservations, you can all 315-894-3203, or go to ilionlittletheatre.org.

 

Joan Crawford Had Nothing To Do With It

I feel that I have a good excuse for making my Non-Sequitur Thursday post on Friday morning, and it’s not just, you know, non-sequitur.  I was late getting home, because I made three stops, then I had two rehearsals starting at 5 p.m.  So here is a Non-Sequitur Shout-Out post, because, as regular readers know, Mohawk Valley Girl loves local businesses.

First I had to pick up a prescription at the Medicine Shoppe in Ilion.  They are so nice there, and it is the sort of place where they recognize regular customers.  That stop did not take long.  Right across from the parking lot are Ilion Wine and Spirits.  I like to support them, because, in addition to being nice and a good liquor store, they support Ilion Little Theatre (where both my rehearsals were, incidentally).  Unfortunately, I did not have anything particular in mind so spent a few minutes wandering around before settling on a bottle of Barefoot Pinot Noir, a favorite of mine.  Then I stopped into Honey Brook Hobbies to get a treat for my husband.  I easily picked out a brownie with mini chocolate chips on top. I did NOT purchase one for myself, nor yet did I ask Steve for a bite.  Weight-loss goals, here I come!

I should perhaps mention that this will be another hasty post, because I have to sit, drink coffee, watch the news, and play solitaire before I have to get ready for work.  Otherwise I shall feel too flustered and be a danger to myself an others (that last was a self-dramatizing exaggeration, so don’t shake your finger at me) (you know who you are) (don’t shake your head either, although you may feel free to shake your bootie, I don’t mind that on a Friday) (oops, I just pointed out again that I am making my Thursday post late) (once again, I’d better quit while I’m ahead, if in fact I am).

 

Rapunzel, I’m Not

Here is a good idea for a Non-Sequitur Thursday post:  a PRE-shout-out to a local business I am ABOUT to go to.  And I’d better hustle up, or I won’t have time to shower first.  Oh dear, do I even have time if I hustle?  Well, I’ll just start typing and see what I can do.

My hair has been growing at its usual annoying rate, that is, fast till it gets to where I can’t do anything with it and then stop.  I was undecided to cut or not, because I did not know what my director wanted for the play I’m in (remember? Morning’s at Seven at Ilion Little Theatre) (the murder mysteries don’t matter; I can make any number of ‘do’s work for them).  When the stage manager said she had a grey wig that would work for me, my first question was, “So it’s OK if I get my hair cut really short?”  It was.

Hence, I have an appointment with Clair, my usual stylist at The Hot Spot Salon and Spa in Herkimer.  I decided I might as well have a pedicure while I was at it, if the appointment time was available.  It was!  The appointment is for five tonight.  When I made the appointment, the lady making it said I would be out by about quarter after six.  Perfect for a six-thirty rehearsal in Ilion!  I hope.

Hmm… this is kind of a boring blog post.  It might have been more interesting if I had waited till after the appointment.  I could have included a picture of my toes, at least.  Well, I can’t help that.  I have a shower to take.  My appointment is for a cut without shampoo and blow-dry (I get a REAL low-care cut).  I still don’t know what I’m going to wear to rehearsal.  How flustered I get!

The Hot Spot Salon and Spa is located at 121 E. Albany St., Herkimer, NY, phone number 315-866-9113.  You can also Like them on Facebook.

I Print, I Type, It’s Wuss-out Wednesday!

I just can’t do it.   I’m sitting here in front of my laptop but typing into my tablet, one letter at a time with the stylus.   I can’t get the printer to work, and I think I made things worse by trying.

OK, back on the laptop (SUCH a relief to type with all ten fingers!).  I do not use the printer often enough, so I usually screw it up the first several tries.  Once I got it working, I realized I was almost out of paper. Yikes! I really think there is a partial ream hanging around somewhere, but I could not find it.  By virtue of searching for stuff I could print on the back of, I got everything I need printed.  A trip to Hummel’s Office Plus is in my near future (just to sneak in a shout-out to a local business).

All this by way of introduction to my usual Wuss-out Wednesday post.  Sorry, readers, but I’m afraid any number of lame posts will be forthcoming in the next month or so.  Then it will be all posts about Morning’s at Seven till May.  Still, even a lame post must be made, so here I sit, typing.

I spent most of my breaks at work trying to learn my lines for Morning’s at Seven.  Next I will have to worry about A Trivial Murder. Learning my lines, that is.  I’ve already written that one.  Other than that, all time must be spent on Murder by the Book, the one I will soon complete writing (as soon as I figure out who did it) (only your really organized writers know these things before they start, you know).

For anyone tuning in late,  A Trivial Murder is an interactive dinner theatre to be presented to benefit the Herkimer County Historical Society at The Travel Lodge in Little Falls on March 23 (Yikes, that’s soon!).  Murder by the Book, also an interactive dinner theatre, will be at the Morning Star Church in Ilion on April 6. I wrote both murder mysteries. Morning’s at Seven by Paul Osborn is a full-length regular play I am in at Ilion Little Theatre, to be presented the last weekend in April and first weekend in May.  On the third weekend in May, I will have a nice, quiet nervous breakdown.

 

 

 

What Would Meryl Streep Do?

Remember all the Pre-Rehearsal Posts I made during the various plays I have been in?  Well, this is a Pre-Read-Through Post.  One eye on the clock, both hands on the keyboard, trying to come up with something before I have to leave for the theatre.  Rushed and Flustered are my default states from now until closing night!  Every day is Wrist to Forehead Day!  Don’t worry, I’ll get a grip on myself before I try to drive anywhere.

Yes, I’m in another play.  All day long, I’ve been thinking, “Mamma Mia!  Here I go again!”  I got flattered into it.  I am so susceptible.  One could even say “easy,” but that has connotations I would rather not deal with (we’ll leave my past in the past, or some people will be shouting, “TMI!” which regular readers know I hate).

Where was I?  Ah yes, the play.  I’m so flustered right now, I can’t even remember what it’s called.  I’ll find out at the read-through (oh, I KNOW I can easily look it up, don’t interrupt me when I’m typing!).  The play is at Ilion Little Theatre, in Ilion, NY, one of my all-time favorite places.  A couple of my all-time favorite people are in it too, as well as some I would like to get to know better, which is a selling point.  For me, it is always all about the people (note to self: expound about that subject on a future Lame Post Friday).

The reason I am so flustered is that I am kind of an idiot.  I think I have mentioned in recent posts all that I have on my plate.  Of course it is my own fault.  I am a well-known theatre junkie; it is very difficult for me to say “no” to anything (see above statement about being easy).  On the other hand theatre is one of my great loves.  I am really very blessed to be involved in community theatre.  How many times in my younger years did I long for time on stage but the blankety-blank directors cast someone else?  A LOT!!!

So I will count my blessings, call this a Non-Sequitur Thursday post, and drive on.  Watch this space for more information on the play, as well as my other theatre projects.  It makes a fun life for a drama queen like me!

Mornings at Seven!  It’s called Mornings at Seven.  I just remembered; I didn’t have to look it up.

 

Lots of Local!

So I thought I could do a kind of a regular post today, giving shout-outs to a couple of local businesses.  Then we went to a third local business, where I had a couple of glasses of Chardonnay, which is not at all a bad thing.  Hmmm… well, let’s begin at the beginning.

I had a prescription to pick up at the Medicine Shoppe.  It has been ready since Tuesday.  Tuesday afternoon, I called Steven from work and said, “I had a kind of a wild thought.  Instead of going and picking up my prescription after work, how about if I come home and shower, you come with me to pick it up, and we go out to dinner.”  Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, Steven had already planned on fixing tuna-noodle casserole for dinner and was not inclined to go out.  I say “fortunately” because the casserole was quite tasty.

Fast forward through Wednesday (which I only vaguely remember anyways), and I made the same suggestion.  I had an additional reason for doing this:  I finished the salad I made for my lunch, and if we went to dinner I could get a salad and perhaps have some left over for tomorrow’s lunch.  Steven was non-committal, so I thought it would be a good idea to pick up my prescription before coming home.

So I knew I could give a shout-out to the Medicine Shoppe in Ilion.  They are really nice there.  If you do not have a regular pharmacist that you like, I highly recommend the Medicine Shoppe.

Whenever I stop at the Medicine Shoppe, I often go right across the parking lot to Ilion Wine and Spirits.  They are very nice there too.  I purchased a bottle of my favorite champagne,  Great Western Extra Dry.  It is a New York State wine, from the Finger Lakes.  It is yummy, if you like that sort of thing, which I do.

When I arrived home, I found that Steven was quite willing to go out to dinner, especially since he had turned me down earlier in the week.  I felt it was a good day for Steven to go out, because he was looking quite handsome.  Earlier today, he got his hair cut and beard trimmed at the Hot Shot Salon and Spa in Herkimer.   Ooh, another local businesses to give a shout-out to!

We went to Salvatore’s in Herkimer, one of our favorite places.  I could write a whole post just about our dinner.  Perhaps I will, but not tonight.  For one reason, I am over 400 words.  That’s pretty good for me.  I may drink some more Chardonnay.  Happy Thursday, everybody!

 

Scattering before the Storm

Scattered Saturday it is!  For one reason, I can type this in quickly (I hope) and get back to the relaxing portion of the day.  Just a note of background:  today is supposed to be a major winter storm.  The weather people have been talking about it for days now.  Right now is the part of the day we are supposed to be hunkered down, waiting till it is time to go out and do some major shoveling tomorrow.  I suppose I can make a blog post while I hunker, but I would rather be watching a movie or true crime television.  On with the blog post, so I can get back to it!

We got up early today, having gone to bed early last night.  I felt rather ill-used to have a headache first thing in the morning.  I hadn’t even had a Friday night libation!  I wondered if too much sleep was to blame.  YES, I slept a lot on Friday.  I had a migraine, remember?  At least, regular readers will remember.  For sporadic tuners-in who missed yesterday’s lame post,  I had a migraine yesterday.  I sought exercise as a cure:  first I drank two large glasses of Gatorade, then I ran in place on the mini-tramp.  The headache wasn’t gone, but I could live with it.

After my usual call to Mom and Dad, I wrote a few post cards.  I was puttering around getting my act together when Steven went out to brush off the cars.  We feared the winter storm had started early, but it was merely a dusting overnight.  I got outside in time to help with the brushing, then I was off to Ilion.

My mission in Ilion was to get my work shoes for the year from Melfe’s.  I will no doubt write a blog post about that; I usually do.  My plan after that was to go to Moose River Coffee for a cup of the BEST coffee.  I could sit and write while I drank it.  Alas, they were not open.  A sign in the door said they were doing a tasting at Little Falls Food Co-op.  Well, I love Little Falls Food Co-op but was not into driving to Little Falls.

As I pulled into the parking lot for Ilion Wine and Spirits, I remembered Honey Brook Hobbies.  Maybe they had coffee!  Alas (again), they did not.  I bought a few cookies, though, because they looked really good (they were; I ate one right away).  Then I went to the liquor store and got a couple of bottles.

Back home I thought I was in for the day.  After all, it was already snowing.  However, my friend Kim needed to go to the liquor store and get something to see her through the storm.  Naturally I went with her to Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer.  After all, I still had my bra on (do NOT say TMI!) (you know who you are).  We tasted some wine and purchased some as well (oh, don’t shake your head or your finger at me!) (or even your booty, although that would be less of a problem) (it’s not like I’m going to drink it all TONIGHT!).

I cooked a pretty good dinner (not early enough to call it supper) while we looked at a Dateline I had DVR’d a while ago (judging from the taped commercials).  Now it is over so I must find something else to watch.  I see I am over 500 words, which I call more than respectable.  If you are in the path of the storm, I hope you are hunkered down.  For all others, Happy Saturday!

 

Just a Few Theatre Pictures

One of the all-time best casts I have ever worked with.

I was looking through my Media Library (I will never get over my delight in using that term) for the logo of 20/20 on OWN, because that is what I am looking at (in rather a desultory fashion) (another term I delight in using) while I attempt some semblance of a blog post.  Then I thought, maybe a Throw Back Thursday would be nice.  I have a lot of fun pictures I can revisit.  Above is the cast of Leading Ladies, which I directed at Ilion Little Theatre (ILT) in 2016.  I would like to direct again sometime.

We were a huge hit.

I would also like to act again, and get my husband, Steven acting again.  This is us on stage together in Splitting Issues, at ILT in 2016.

But this was our really big scene together!

Steven and I also shared the stage in Harvey at ILT in 2012.  He played Dr. Chumley, I was Veda.  That was another wonderful theatre experience.

Another cast I loved!

Regular readers know ILT is not the only community theatre group I work with.  This is LiFT Theatre Company of Little Falls, presenting Much Ado About Nothing in 2016.  Wow, I was busy in 2016.  I don’t know what excuse I have for being so tired now!  I think it is time for me to be in another play, so I can put more pictures in my Media Library.

In the meantime, here is my blog post for today.  Happy Thursday, everyone!

 

Wrist to Forehead But Fun

This may be an unusual Wrist to Forehead Sunday post in that I do not feel particularly wrist-to-foreheady (yes, computer, I know that is not a word, yet I do not believe I shall confuse any of my readers).  The obvious reason for that is that I do not have to go to work tomorrow. Yay, me.  Please don’t hate on me, those of you who do.

Since I do not have to work tomorrow, Steven and I went out to have drinks and appetizers at a local watering hole.  I took my Tablet with me, hoping to take some pictures for blog and other purposes.  Unfortunately the first place we tried has been closing on Sundays as of late.  The second place was too busy and crowded. How’s that for opposites?

Finally we went to Lombardo’s Pizzeria in Ilion, NY, where we had a couple glasses of wine and some food.  It was a fun interlude.  Next we went to Asteroga Ale House in Herkimer, where we had another drink and a pleasant conversation with another couple at the bar. Alas I did not take any pictures.  Here is where I fall far short in comparison with other bloggers. Judge me if you will.

Now we are home for what I like to call the bra off, sweats on, movie watching portion of the day.  Or we may watch an episode or two of Snapped.  In any case, I have kept my post-Christmas letdown at bay for yet another day.  Happy Sunday, everyone!

 

Seasonal Scattered Saturday

I pause in my Christmas gyrations to make this week’s Scattered Saturday post. Full Disclosure:  I sat down to make this post earlier and just did not want to do it.  I felt down, I felt stupid, I felt completely disinclined to make a blog post just for the sake of making a blog post.  Remembering that doing something, anything often helps (if you can get yourself to do it), I did the dishes (there were not that many) and started another batch of Chex Party Mix (although I used the store brand version of Chex cereal) (I guess that is another Full Disclosure).  I have one, maybe two more goodies to make (however, I have found that it does not pay to get too ambitious), then I can start packaging and wrapping.

The packaging is often the most fun.  My husband Steven likes to put a present in a present, so we pick up various size tins and decorative boxes whenever we see them for a good price.  For another reason, I am a terrible wrapper, completely unable to fold the corners in anywhere close to a neat fashion.  However, I am thinking I will wrap the presents for my great nephew and niece, who are four and one.  I think they will like to tear the paper.

I had been hoping for a return of Saturday Running Commentary today, but the early weather report warned of possible icy roads early on, when I would have liked to go.  I am clumsy enough on my feet without adding slippery into the mix.  Additionally, I wanted to run to Hannaford for just a couple more things.  I felt like an independent, take-charge kind of woman when I went to Hannaford shortly after they opened, thus beating the crowd (although I kept walking into people; I did mention I was clumsy, did I not?), then drove to the Mohawk YMCA, arriving shortly after they opened.  Half an hour on the elliptical made me feel even better about myself.

Steven got a little ambitious himself, scoring a same-day appointment appointment at the Hot Shot Salon and Spa in Herkimer to have his beard and hair trimmed.  I admired his handsomeness before starting my first batch of Party Mix.

Later on, I went to Ilion with my friend Kim, to visit the New 2 You Consignments.  We mostly went to visit our friend Robbi, the proprietress.  We also got to see her lovely daughter, Megan.  Megan is ultra-talented and is studying musical theatre in New York.  Kim and I worked on a couple of shows with her when she was still local.  We looked around at the merchandise, but the only thing I bought was a pair of Christmas socks.  I love Christmas socks, and I do not have enough of them.  I know, this is the time of year I should be purchasing things for other people, but, hey, Christmas socks.  There could be no possible objection.

Before leaving Ilion, we stopped by Ilion Wine and Spirits, where I picked up a bottle of my favorite champagne, Great Western Extra Dry, made in New York State.  Wine purists will point out that technically it is not champagne if it is not made in a specific part of France, but I do not care at all.  Call it whatever you like, I like to drink it!

Making Chex Party Mix is a relaxing activity, because once it is in the oven you have 45 minutes to wait, needing only to stir it every 15.  That part is sometimes a little stressful for me when I start to think I did not set the timer this time after stirring.  Then I go to check, thinking I will set the timer for less than 15 if I have indeed forgotten.  Then I have not forgotten, and much more time has passed than I realized, so it is good I remembered to set it.  But other than that, a perfectly relaxing treat to make, and so tasty.

So this is my Scattered Saturday post.  Only two more days till Christmas!  Yikes!  Well, I will be ready or I won’t.  My family will not mind if I am not. They will not even be surprised.  They have known me for a while.