Tag Archives: play

Actually, I Prefer Paul Verhoeven

Posted on July 24, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

I said to my husband Steven, “I can’t have a Non-Sequitur Thursday after I had a Tired Tuesday AND  a Wuss-out Wednesday.”  And he said, “They expect if of you by now,” quickly adding, “in a good way.”

On overtime.  In a play.  Having wine on the deck right now.  Have to go to dinner or stay here and cook something before getting to bed early for more overtime tomorrow… Yeah, I’m going to make another silly post.

I really do love writing a blog.  I love trying to come up with something every day.  I sadly cannot say “something different,” because sometimes I fear I am depressingly the same.  “I can’t write anything today!”  or “I must write a silly post today”  or… you know all my variations on a theme (perhaps that would have been a good title, but then it wouldn’t have been Non-Sequitur Thursday).

One reason we sat out on the deck drinking wine is that we were waiting for a friend to come over and borrow an army thing of mine.  I hope he does not mind my mentioning that. I thought I would bring it up for the sake of plugging his blog, The Dorky Daddy.  I really like that blog.

Speaking of liking blogs, I was going to write a post titled, “So Many Blogs, So Little Time,” because I don’t always have time to read all the blogs I follow or even check out other blogs who have Liked or Followed me.  Sorry, fellow bloggers!  I’ll try to do better!

In the meantime, Happy Thursday, everyone. And I believe we are going OUT for dinner.  I may even have another glass of wine.

 

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Aunt Cindy Killed Somebody?

Posted on June 26, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Don’t you think that’s a catchy title for Non-Sequitur Thursday? I do so love an eye-catching headline.  However, I am going to go on to explain that one and talk about killing somebody else, so it is not exactly a non-sequitur.  I ask you to bear with me.

I was on the phone with my sister, Diane, who also writes novels. I had written her a long letter lamenting my novel woes.  I had talked about character and plot, which I rarely do.  For one reason, once you’ve talked about it, you often feel you don’t have to write it.  Must maintain that oomph, after all.  For another reason, the person you’re telling it to might roll their eyes and say, “That’s been done.”  I hate that.  However, desperate times call for desperate measures, so I wrote the letter.

Diane, alas, did not have any specific advice for me.   It had been a couple of weeks since I had written the letter, so I updated her on a couple of  scenes I had written.

“I killed off another character,” I said. “But not one of the ones I was talking about in the letter.”

I heard my niece in the background say, “Aunt Cindy killed somebody?”

I don’t know why she sounded surprised.

The reason I’m using this admittedly thin story for a post is that I must post and run today.  Steven and I have a read-through for a play we are in.  Perhaps you read a previous post where I spoke of how we had auditioned for Roxy, which is being presented by the Herkimer County Historical Society and Ilion Little Theatre Club.  We are very excited to be part of this original production, which is written by a local author and concerns a local, historical case.

The play is about Roxalana Druse, who killed her husband in the Town of  Warren.  She was tried in the  Herkimer County Courthouse, imprisoned and later hanged in the 1843 Jail, which is right across the street.   I believe much of the dialogue is taken from actual court testimony.

Guess what part I got. I’ll give you a hint:  see the headline of this post.

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At Least I’m Writing SOMETHING

Posted on April 23, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Welcome to another Wuss-out Wednesday.  I was busily writing while at work today (before my shift and on breaks, as usual), but not on a blog post.  I started a new novel.  Oh, it is so fun to start a new novel!  New ideas just appear in my head and I write them down.  I feel brilliant.

 

I’m writing this novel a little differently from how I’ve attempted previous novels.  I started writing a list of potential names, then I just dove right in and started writing.  No notes.  No outline.   All I have, other than the pages of novel, is a growing list of characters, so I don’t use any names that are too similar (so annoying to the reader, I know it drives me crazy).

 

Of course it is the wrong thing to do, to begin a new novel.  I VOWED I would finish the last one I started.  You see, I have many, many novels started and only one I ever finished.  And that one’s not very good.  My later novels are better, but they are not finished.  It is mortifying to admit this, but it is true.

 

However, my latest unfinished novel (I mean the one before the one I just started) was at a STANDSTILL.  I simply could not progress.   I had to take a step back and I just couldn’t bear to not be writing.  Sometimes I can only write what comes out of my pen.

 

In case anybody is wondering, I am still working on the play about bananas.  I’m writing on that every night before bed.  Yesterday I wrote a speech from the play within the play (I just can’t write anything that is not complicated, I suppose).

 

So that is my story about why I did not write a blog post today.  Tomorrow I will try to find a little more time to write an actual post.  But since tomorrow is Non-Sequitur Thursday, I make no promises.

 

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In My Defense, It’s Cold!

Posted on February 1, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Here’s a new feature: Saturday Misadventures. It is for those numerous Saturdays when I do not have Saturday Running Commentary but instead type down a few paragraphs of what I did instead of write a good blog post.

When we got up this morning it was one degree out according to our thermostat. I don’t know where it gets this information; the thermostat came with the new furnace. I would get one of those jobs with the big numbers to hang on the garage like my parents have, but I don’t have a window handy for looking out at the garage. If I’m going to open the door anyways, what do I need a thermometer for?

Come to think of it, I did open the door, to get the newspaper (LOVE my newspaper deliverers!). Yikes! I made sure to replace the doodads under our door meant to keep the draft out (with indifferent success). Still, it was above zero. What could I possibly complain about? Got you there: I am not complaining, I am OBSERVING!

I wrote some postcards, but a walk to the post office was clearly ineligible. I know my dog would eagerly jump and bark if I picked up the leash, but I do not want a frostbitten little pooch. I’ve been limiting her outdoor activity to short business meetings in the back yard.

Still, I could not stay home under the blankets as was my inclination. I had to put air in one tire and I had to gas up. And I had to leave my vehicle in the street, because I leave for the theatre after Steven gets home tonight. I’m in a play, remember (see yesterday’s post, among others). As the temperature rose to 2 degrees, my hopes rose proportionately.

As it turns out, for no good reason. I did not do anything blogworthy. And my brain is too frozen to remember any of the blogworthy things I did previously but have not written about yet. I feel properly ashamed of myself, but I must not repine. I have a show to put on later.

Hope to see you on Wrist to Forehead Sunday.

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Brevity is the Soul of Lame

Posted on January 24, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

The Law of Inertia applies to writing. To those who do not remember 8th grade Physics (I think my school just called it “Science”) (and I’m pretty sure 8th grade is when I learned this, although I could be wrong), the Law of Inertia states that an object at rest tends to remain at rest while an object in motion tends to remain in motion until worked on by an outside force.

A writer not writing tends to continue not writing. Or in my case, a blogger who spends several days composing last minute foolishness at the keyboard tends not to handwrite in her notebook during breaks at work.

That is what I handwrote in my notebook earlier today during a break at work (my computer is underlining “handwrite” and “handwrote” but I am going to pretend that they are words). You see, I knew it was Lame Post Friday, when it will not matter (per my own self-imposed rules) (which you may have noticed are subject to change) if I go the Foolishness at the Keyboard route. But yet, I wanted something more. After all, in the past I have written my lame post prior to typing it in. Now I anm trying to remember one so I can one make one of those pingback thing. Hmmm, nothing is coming. Well, you know what I mean.

What happened was, I wrote those two paragraphs then felt guilty for not studying my lines. You know, for that play I’m in. Also, it cannot be denied, looking at words somebody else wrote is much easier than coming up with words of my own. However, difficult though it sometimes is, I LIKE coming up with words of my own. This post is now over 250 of them.

250 words is not a long post. I’ve been reading other blogs and I know many run longer. However, they say brevity is the soul of wit. And it you can’t be witty, it is best to be brief. There, that covers me either way. Happy Friday, everyone.

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The Play is Definitely the Thing

Posted on January 19, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

For the next two weeks I expect to be obsessed. This is perhaps not a good thing for the blog, especially since I had a number of Mohawk Valley adventures in the last few days, which I would very much like to write about. However, I just returned from rehearsal and the play is on my mind (I bet you thought I was going to say, “The play’s the thing.” Well, I don’t have to indulge in every cliche, do I?).

We ran the whole show. It is not the first time we ran it; that was last Sunday. Did it go well? I think it did. I called for line a few times. I messed up a few times. Maybe several. I wasn’t counting. The funny thing is I have to have a cockney accent for my character. When we stopped running the play I kept talking in the accent. The director told me I have to slow down on one dramatic line. I tried a few times then said, “I’ll practice it at ‘ome!” Maybe you had to be there.

One kind of discouraging thing is when the director tells you to do something you were trying to do already. Damn! It didn’t work! I have to try harder. One thing I strive to do, though, is listen to direction. I have worked with actors who want to argue with everything. “I just don’t see the character that way,” they say, among other things. There is nobody like that in this cast. Phew!

I guess posts about rehearsal are not that exciting. Well, I don’t want to give away too much about the play, in case local readers want to come see it (and I hope they do). Perhaps I can manage a post or two about my recent Mohawk Valley adventures. We’ll see what tomorrow will bring.

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Did You Know I’m in a Play?

Posted on January 8, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Once again I did not write my post earlier in the day, as I prefer to do, because I was studying my lines for the play I am in. And I did not write it before rehearsal, because I was worrying about my props. I almost said I was gathering props, but I must be honest. I had already gathered most of the props. Today I grabbed like two more things and worried about the stuff I don’t have yet.

So now I’m writing this post after rehearsal, and it is past my bedtime. OK, my bedtime is earlier than many people. I shall not apologize for that. I shall instead, speak briefly about the awesome theatre experience I am having.

The play is called Busybody. It is a British comedy, so I get to talk with a Cockney accent. It is fun to talk with an accent. The plot concerns a nosy cleaning lady who discovers a dead body which moves then disappears. Get it? A busybody who finds a busy body. Guess which one I play? It is a very funny play, and we have an awesome cast. Some of my favorite actors from Ilion Little Theatre are in it as well as a few newcomers.

I guess this is not going to be a very informative post. That is because I do NOT want to include a spoiler alert. I want local readers to feel free to come see the play without having any of the major plot points revealed ahead of time. Performance dates are January 30, 31 and February 1, 6, 7 and 8, two consecutive weekends. Curtain times are 8 p.m. on the Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. For more information, you can visit ILT’s website, www.ilionlittletheatre.com or Like their Facebook page.

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Christmas Guilt

Posted on December 24, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

You wouldn’t think I would have a Tired Tuesday when I’m on vacation, but so it is. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m not very sick; I’m apparently just sick enough. I truly had not meant to complain about it, but it’s part of the reason I’m publishing a kind of a crappy post today. I’ll count your forgiveness for that as another Christmas present (which would work out fine, except I was bad all year so do not expect any presents).

Where was I? Ah yes, another Christmas where my half-baked plans have once again gone awry. “Half-baked plans?” you say. “I thought you went in for half-baked philosophy on Lame Post Friday. I was kind of looking forward to that.” (Oh, OK, I guess nobody but me looks forward to my Friday Lame Post; I thought for once I would let my imaginary reader say something nice about the blog).

In this case, half-baked plans is… not exactly right but appropriate. I have in fact done less than half of the baking I had planned. Well, I didn’t want to start it too soon, in case the cookies got stale or (more likely) eaten. And I’ve been busy. So here I am the day before Christmas Eve and not much done.

As yesterday’s post detailed, I have baked one batch of the most delicious cookies imaginable. Seriously, Steven ate one and said, “I LOVE you!” I am not above buying affection. I went to rehearsal (for the play I’m in, did I tell you about that?) (I was going to link back to a previous post where I did, but I can’t find it, sorry) and apologized to the cast for not bringing any in. Now they are mad at me for bringing it up and I don’t blame them. What was I thinking?

I was supposed to go to the store today and buy more powdered sugar but did not make it. At least I got the laundry done. Clean underwear is a good thing on Christmas week. Perhaps some would prefer I went commando and made cookies, but I daresay they wouldn’t want to hear about it and you know it is just the sort of thing I would mention (some of you are probably already taking in a deep breath to shout, “TMI!” I hate that expression).

I managed a batch of Chex Party Mix, the original recipe that you bake for 45 minutes. Then I took a two hour nap. In my defense, the dog wanted to, too. After I got up I made a batch of White Trash. That isn’t baking, but it is a very popular snack in my family.

I have rehearsal in about an hour and a half. It might be a good idea to study my lines some more (I also looked at them at the laundromat). I’m afraid I don’t have time to make the peppermint bark, even if I could find the recipe. Will I make it to the store and bake more cookies tomorrow? I DON’T KNOW! Will my family still love me if I don’t? I HOPE SO!

Merry Christmas Eve Eve, everyone.

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