Tag Archives: writing

At Least I Didn’t Mention My Underwear. Oops.

I thought to myself, “This will be the day I catch up on my blog.”  Regular readers may remember (or not; I do not flatter myself that my little blog holds such an important part in anybody’s consciousness) that I am still one post behind, after missing two days, um, two weeks ago?  More? Less?  I’m too lazy and flustered to go back and check.  The point is, I realized earlier in the week that Sunday would be the perfect day to make two posts and thus be caught up, according to my rules for me.  I have a matinee of Morning’s at Seven at Ilion Little Theatre at two.  I can make a post before and a post afterward.  IT!  COULD!  WORK!  (That is a reference to Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein, a movie I highly recommend).

I attempted to implement the plan earlier in the day, but I sat here on WordPress and just kind of made b-b-b-b noises.  Later, having exerted myself in other directions (nothing big: made a salad for my week’s lunches, made some cream-cheese-stuffed celery sticks for same, got the laundry out of the drier,did  a couple other minor chores), I thought to try again.  So here I am.  Let the b-b-b-b noises begin!

The fact is, I am as usual these days, feeling quite flustered.  Will I remember my lines? Will I remember all the other stuff: contact lenses, pantyhose, to breathe?  I already forgot one thing:  when I was at the grocery store earlier I meant to get grapes and pretzels for backstage snacks.  They are my favorite backstage snacks:  the grapes help you hydrate and the salt in the pretzels helps absorb the acids in your stomach.  I suppose I have time to run back to the store, but by this hour of a Sunday it may be crowded.  Oh, look, now I have another thing to dither over!

And I have a blog post of over 300 words.   Maybe they are not good words.  Perhaps I amused no one at all.  Nah, at least somebody reading it had to be at least mildly entertained.  I mean, “b-b-b-b noises” may not be comedy gold, but I find it worth a chuckle.  Perhaps I flatter myself.  No matter.  We’ll call this Wrist to Forehead Sunday and drive on.

I wonder if I will really make another post after the play, thus becoming caught up till the next time I miss a post.  A little suspense will add interest to my afternoon.

 

 

Break a Lame Leg, Me

I just posted on Facebook that I am brain dead.  This is no way to be on opening night for Morning’s at Seven at Ilion Little Theatre.

Oh for heavens’ sake, can’t I even manage a Friday Lame Post?

It is a dramatic moment.

When in doubt, throw in a picture.  Usually I use a picture of a monster, but here is a shot from last night’s dress rehearsal, used without permission.  I don’t think the lady that took it will mind, but I will ask her when I see her tonight.  This is the whole cast.  We are only all on stage a few times in the play, which is just as well, because Ilion Little Theatre’s stage is small.  The whole theatre is small, although I prefer to call it cozy and intimate.

The fatty upper arm in the foreground on the left is mine.

Here is a backstage shot from last night, showing us getting ready and frantically studying our scripts.  I have not frantically studied my script today, but I have time.  Perhaps I have allowed myself a little too much time.  I took a half a vacation day at work so I would have time for a nap.  I had a nice long one which I enjoyed very much.  Then I had a cup of coffee, which I also enjoyed very much.  I have been dithering ever since.

However, at least I made my blog post, such as it is.  Local readers may like to come see the show.  It is April 26, 27, and 28, and May 3, 4 and 5, 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays, doors open a half hour before curtain.  Tickets are available at the door (till sold out, dare I hope?) or through the website, www.ilionlittletheatre.org.

“Shapewear” Is So A Word, Computer!

Breathing is not overrated.  That is what I tell myself at times like this.  You see, when I get stressed, I forget to breathe.  Then I take a deep breath and it’s like, “Oh yeah, oxygen.”

When I was in the army learning how to run, and I ran into difficulties (see what I did there?), I would tell myself, “Breathing is overrated.”  Eventually I learned how to run and breathe, but first I learned how far I can actually run while gasping and choking in a most unbecoming fashion.  However, this is not a post about running.  I would probably feel a good deal less stressed if I had taken the time for a short run or walk.  However, that ship sailed, to resort to cliche (it is less of a cliche if you point out that you are using a cliche; another technique is to add the word “proverbial,”as in “that proverbial ship has sailed.  Then you sound all self-aware and post-ironic) (but I digress).

Another deep breath, which I need after that last paragraph.  I am working through my last-minute fluster attack before leaving for dress rehearsal for Morning’s at Seven, the play I am in at Ilion Little Theatre.  I believe I have mentioned it once or twice.

After work, and a convoluted drive back to Herkimer, due to congestion and construction, I stopped at the store to get the pantyhose and underwear I mentioned earlier.  I am a little worried, because the only pantyhose (they are, in fact, tights, but let us not quibble over semantics) in the color I wanted (off-white) were control top. YES, I have a top to control.  However, when I attempt to do so, I experience extreme torture for very little result.  What a cruel hoax shapewear is!

And look at me, 300 words and I’m not late.  Yet.  Happy Thursday, everyone.

I wonder if wine is overrated.

 

 

Short Post Before Coffee

Last night I did not have rehearsal.  I fell asleep on the couch then went to bed embarrassingly early.  I will not give a time.  In the interests of accuracy, I did not sleep particularly well once I was actually in bed, but I slept on and off and was quite grateful to do so.  I have never dealt well with limited sleep, even in my young(er) and (more) foolish days.

In any case, I am up prior to 5 a.m., waiting for the coffee maker to drip. Yesterday I took a cup too early and it was bitter.  I require caffeine.  We shall see if I am able to make a blog post without it.

My alarm pulled me out of a very annoying dream.  I was not enjoying the dream at all, yet I was devastated to be dragged from such deep sleep.  I won’t go into details, but we were rehearsing then filming a kiss.  I was either in heaven or hell (the filmmaker was not clear on which), kissing this person I was not supposed to be kissing.  It was complicated, and it wasn’t even that good of a kiss.

In the meantime, I fell asleep last night before doing laundry, so I have to run someplace and purchase underwear and pantyhose for tonight’s rehearsal.  Oh well, I guess I could wear crappy underwear and the wrong color pantyhose.  Perhaps I would have time to do laundry, because I can put the underwear in the drier.  Only I can’t put the pantyhose in the drier, and I need more pantyhose anyways.  I could use a few new pairs of undies as well, come to think of it.

And this is what happens when I try to make a blog post before having coffee.  I babble on about dreams and underwear.  I know some of you are screaming, “TMI!” an expression regular readers know I hate.  I hope at least you had some coffee.

 

I Need My Monsters Today

I thought I could make a quick Monstrous Monday post before segueing into All Mornings At Seven All The Time on Tuesday.  Opening night is Friday.  I am worried rehearsals this week will last late, late, but you’ll have that.

Full disclosure:  I am experiencing a sort of paralysis.  Of the mind and the body.  One of the symptoms, apparently, is to write in incomplete sentences, a style in which I do not usually indulge.  Or do I?  Perhaps I just don’t notice.  Maybe that is another symptom.  The fact is, I keep typing stuff in and backspacing over it, or not even typing it in as I think of it.  I sit here with clenched-teeth determination NOT erasing this paragraph.

“You were looking for me?”

Once again, I look to Nosferatu for help.  Who could be uncheered by a vampire?

“A nice cup of brew and you’ll soon be feeling more the thing.”

Here’s a truly cheerful ghoul, and the cheerful thought that Halloween is coming.  Eventually.  Well, obviously, I celebrate Halloween all year.  I believe I am not the only mortal to do so.

He seems to be hard at work.

I have no idea what movie, if any, this is from.  It was in my Media Library, so I must have downloaded it from somewhere sometime.  Similarly, I have no idea how I got to be over 200 words.  I’ll talk about the play I’m in tomorrow.  And eventually, I will try to start making better blog posts.  In the meantime, may your Mondays NOT be monstrous.

 

Now I Can Watch Snapped

Hello, and welcome to the Easter Edition of Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  It feels wrong to be swooning onto a chaise lounge,  posed dramatically with the back of one wrist on my forehead on this holiest of Christian holidays.  Full disclosure: I do not own a chaise lounge, and I am sitting on my couch,  typing one letter at a time into my Tablet with the stylus, the way I did yesterday.  What is it with this extreme reluctance to sit up straight in a dining room chair and type with both hands into a laptop like a normal writer?

That was a long paragraph .  Anyways, I don’t want to be making a blog post at all; I want to watch Snapped and crochet.

I had a dream last night in which I had reached the end of my rope.  I kept saying, “I have reached overload.  I cannot do anything else.”  And I felt horrible.   I felt, in fact, like swooning onto a chaise lounge etc. etc.

When I considered the dream this morning (I know, it doesn’t take a psychological genius to figure out where it came from), all I could think was , “For heaven’s sake,  I don’t have that much on my plate!  Other people have a LOT more to deal with.”  In short, I advised me to get over myself.  I offer myself that same advice now.

“Get over yourself , Cindy.  And watch a little Snapped.”

I hope the rest of you are having a lovely day.

 

Why Not Add Monsters?

It’s going to be a Slacker Saturday post, and I may not even pep it up with monster pictures.  Oh, who am I kidding?

I would probably take it as a compliment.

As long as I’m doing a foolish post, why not add monsters ?  Come to think of it, that might make a good title.

I am sitting on my couch , typing into my Tablet, one letter at a time with the stylus,  and as usual getting a kick out of the predictive text function.  I felt pretty okay for most of the day, particularly this morning,  when it was raining.  But then I took a nap on the couch and woke up with a headache .  I’m drinking water,  in case dehydration is a factor.  At least the water tastes good .

“Do you come here often?”

Speaking of hydration… here’s a guy who’s all wet.

I did go adventuring with my friend Kim earlier. It would be a good idea to write about that, but I just can’t do it with a headache .  Sorry.  I didn’t mean to whine.   Then again,  I do always say, go with your strengths.

I thought mentioning candy would be appropriate, since tomorrow is Easter.

I actually clicked on Joan Crawford accidentally when I was scrolling through my Media Library looking for one more monster.  I see I am over 200 words.   I say that’s okay for a Slacker Saturday .

 

Lame Sick Day, But Here Are Some Flowers

I keep telling myself,  it’s Lame Post Friday, the blog post does not have to be stellar. Well, it certainly is not going to be. For one reason, I am on my Tablet,  typing one letter at a time with the stylus.  I’m just not up to sitting at the dining room table, where the laptop now permanently resides (never mind why; long story,  not very interesting).

All this by way of introduction to another blogger’s sick day.  Yes, I had great plans to make two posts and be caught up again, but it is not going to happen.  I’m going to whine for a couple of paragraphs about how crappy I feel, hit Publish, and drive on.

But, by way of interjecting a somewhat more positive note,  here is a picture I took earlier,  before the crappiness completely overcame me.

Aren’t they pretty?

I didn’t think we would get any crocuses, because we never got all the leaves raked up before the snow fell last fall.  I was delighted to see these.  They are in our front yard.  It started to rain before I got a chance to check the back.

I  don’t know what is wrong with me.  I can only hope it is allergies,  so I am not contagious.   I only wish it was the kind of illness where I could make a better blog post.

 

Wuss Out Sick Day

How Wuss-out Wednesday can I get without getting another blog post behind?  Taking a Blogger’s Sick Day would be pretty wussy, I think.  I feel AWFUL!!! I don’t know if it is a cold or allergies, but there is not much I can do right now except feel awful.  Well, I can also spare a little me to feel stupid for being such a big fat baby about what is really a trifling illness.  And to feel guilty about not making a better blog post.  But that’s about it.

“What’s in this drink?”

I thought I would throw in a picture, so this could be also a kind of a Wordless Wednesday.  Doesn’t she look a little like she’s taking some nasty medicine?  I don’t think she is.  It is the lady from The Atomic Brain, one of my favorite cheesy movies.

It’s kind of a cheesy grin, no?

A theatre friend made this frame over a picture of me when I was playing Roxalana Druse at Ilion Little Theatre.  She killed her abusive husband and was hung for it, in case you did not remember the famous case.  Art Wilks, who played my husband in Roxy, is in Morning’s at Seven with me now, but not as my husband.  I find the picture appropriate for today, because when I am feeling particularly ill (you know how these illnesses get better or worse in waves), I keep saying I want to die. Of course I do not. I might miss something.

Here’s a cheery grin for you!

Looking to end on a lighter note, I include this picture of a nice little vampire, in the Halloween pot my friend Marsha sent me.

Now I am going to drink some hot tea with lemon and honey.  Perhaps you will join me tomorrow for Non-Sequitur Thursday.

 

Pre-Rehearsal Tired Typing

Tired Tuesday follows Monster Monday. This has happened before.  I quite frankly can’t BELIEVE how tired I am!!!  But I must, must, must make a blog post, or I will once again be two posts behind.  Think fast, Cindy, what can you type about (because obviously I am too tired to actually write) (that’s a reference to Truman Capote: “That’s not writing; that’s typing”) (but regular readers knew that).  Where was I?

Last night we had rehearsal for Morning’s at Seven, the play I am in at Ilion Little Theatre.  I did not know all my lines.  I’m usually so good at learning them!  I am also usually better at having a character and, you know, acting.  Well, one does what one can.  I looked over my lines during breaks at work.  I thought about my character while working (I have the sort of job you can do and think about other stuff at the same time).  I will strive to do better at rehearsal tonight.  Tomorrow, when I do not have rehearsal, I will study my lines and go to bed early.  After making a blog post which I hope will NOT be a Wuss-out Wednesday, but no promises.

In the meantime, I had better catch a second wind before rehearsal. It is too late for coffee, or I’ll never sleep after rehearsal.  Maybe chocolate milk would do the trick.  Or I could put on some peppy music and dance around the living room.  That would have the added bonus of entertaining my husband.  Perhaps I can report on my success or failure tomorrow.