Thursday once again

...and it seems like I should be going out tonight...I wish I was 22 again...blah blah blah...all you regular readers know the Thursday drill. :-)

FLT3

End of week thoughts

As usual, Thursday night is approaching, and the old sentimental thoughts of Thursday night college revelry come to mind. I think I'll be 80 years old and Thursday night will still conjure images of The Varsity, The Hound's Tooth, or The Brass Monkey. (The Varsity is long-demolished, and I have no idea if either of the other dives still exist, but they will all live forever in my memory, where "college" always means "late 1980's." :-)

Last Sunday was the BATA (Birmingham Area Theatre Alliance) Gala, featuring 5-10 minute excerpts from the offerings of various local theatre groups. The selections ranged from truly amazing to somewhat less than perfect, but the overall event was entertaining and fun. Brent and Leah (King and Anna, respectively) did the "Shall We Dance" number from K&I, which went very well.

The main event of the gala was the presentation of the lifetime achievement award to Jack & Suzanne Mann. They have been prominent in Birmingham's theatre scene for years, and the award was well-deserved.

I am once again subbing at Pizitz Middle School today. So far, the kids are sedate enough...maybe the anticipation of a 4-day weekend has them numb with excitement...or maybe the lunchroom served Nyquil milkshakes today. Either way, I'm not complaining.

FLT3

Movie Review

After seeing CURIOUS GEORGE on Friday night (see previous post for details) I can honestly say that I would give it 3 stars, possibly 3.5 as I have only two real complaints...but we'll get to those in a minute. My comments are overwhelmingly positive, and I think the producers have hit upon a mostly-perfect style to keep a CG franchise alive and well for a long time. While not identical to the original H.A. Rey illustrations, George and friends are based very closely upon the original, and maintain the style and feeling of the beloved books. With one exception...
As voiced by Will Ferrell, The Man In The Yellow Hat has become less of a benevolent father-figure and more of a buffoon. His bumbling and stumbling are funny, just not really "right" for TMITYH. I would have much preferred to see (hear?) someone like Dick Van Dyke (who also voices one of the characters) as TMITYH, with Will Ferrell as a bumbling lab assistant or jungle guide. Ferrell was funny...just not appropriately cast.

My other complaint is a small one, as the "problem" was very short-lived. However, (and this is a frequent criticism I have with much children's literature) there were a couple of genuinely scary moments in which George appeared to be in real danger. As I admitted, these were few... one of these lasted for about two seconds (a fall from a great height, only to be caught and saved at the last minute by TMITYH) and the other about two minutes (a not-so-happy segment in which The Man is despondent over a mishap at the museum and George is put on a boat back to Africa...of course, The Man realizes how much he loves George and rushes down to the boat and saves him.) Okay, so we're not talking Bambi's mother or Old Yeller-type "oh my God, I want to kill myself" tear-jerking, but especially for the younger ones, these segments may have been a bit too intense. I would have found it much more palatable to have seen a secondary character emperiled in some way, and George and TMITYH rushing together to save "Fred" or whoever...I'm sure I've put waaaaaaaaaaay more thought into the subject than the average 6-year-old (ie the movie's target audience) but I think it would be better not to have the kids genuinely fear for the safety or well-being of a character in whom they have put an emotional investment. I mean, let's face it...do you really care what happens to "random guy we've only seen once or twice?"

Bottom line, however, is that there is (of course) a very sweet and happy ending, the film is cute and faithful to the books, and overall, the casting is superb. As a CG fan, I recommend it highly.

FLT3

Curious George, The Curious Little Monkey...

Okay, admit it, those of you who grew up in the 70's were singing the tune from the Curious George cartoons that used to come on "Captain Kangaroo," weren't you? :-) Today is opening day of "Curious George: The Movie," and I am proud to say that my 35-year-old-grown-up-adult behind will be in a seat at the theatre. I'm sure I will be about 6 times the age of most of the other patrons, but so what? As those of you who know me can well attest, I am a HUGE Curious George fan. (Have been since I was about 3 years old and first encountered the books.) I have decided that my other childhood addiction, "Gilligan's Island," actually overlaps with George's world... George lived in the jungle, right? Gilligan, The Skipper and company were always interacting with monkeys, right? There you are...Curious George was born on Gilligan's Island! (The only problem with this theory is that it makes The Man With The Yellow Hat yet another one of the heartless visitors to the island who left the castaways stranded...oh well, maybe he only had room on his boat for George... :-)

This has been a MUCH better day than yesterday, as I have been back at VHHS, leaving the evil brats of the middle school behind. It still baffles me how kids can go from completely out-of-control middle schoolers to normal, reasonable high schoolers in only a couple of years. C'est la vie, I suppose.

All is well on the theatre front. "The King & I" is going well, and the BATA Gala (sort of an annual get-together for local theatre groups, with everyone showing off a selection from an upcoming show) is this weekend. CenterStage will be presenting the "Shall We Dance" number, which should be very good.

Just 40 days until Spring arrives.

FLT3

Trying Not To Explode

By the time anyone reads this, I may be in jail for killing children. I am subbing today at Pizitz Middle School, and the kids are beyond uncontrolled. No amount of asking them sweetly to be quiet or yelling "SHUT UP" seems to be working. It's amazing to me how the same little hellians become relatively decent and normal when they reach High School. These kids are evil, though...rotten to the core. (Ask me how I really feel...)

There's only about an hour and a half to go...maybe I'll survive. No, rephrase that...maybe THEY will survive. I have really started to develop sympathies for all the middle-school teachers I thought to be so mean and unreasonable when I was 11 or 12. If my contemporaries and I were this awful (and I'm sure we were) it's amazing that we weren't all thrown in jail by 8th grade.

Oh well...that's why they pay me the big bucks, I guess...

FLT3

BMH B**CHES!!!!!!

Oh yeah, I had me a real big time at the movies last night. It was beyond magical...beyond amazing. It was, in all honesty, the BEST NIGHT EVER!! I will never look at the medium of film in quite the same way ever again.

And what happened, you may ask? Well, I'll tell you. I went with a couple of my friends to see the finest film ever made. Raymond, Lindsey and I (now known as the BMH Posse) saw BIG MOMMA'S HOUSE 2. It transcended cinematographic excellence, with the zany comedic stylings of Martin Lawrence as "Big Momma," and the performances of the other actors who (I'm sure) have names, but I can't recall any of them. The subtle nuances of Lawrence's performance ran an emotional and dramatic gamut that neither DeNiro or Olivier could approach. The script was subtle, yet sparklingly enchanting, and the supporting characters were well-written and completely three-dimensional.

So many emotions after such a wonderful film...it really makes one ponder the meaning of life, the true definition of honor, and the innumerable mysteries of God and the universe.

If BIG MOMMA'S HOUSE 2 does not win Best Picture of 2006, it will be a travesty. Surely Oscar will smile on this heartwarming contemporary classic, which is sure to be studied for years to come by actors, writers, and directors alike. It is, in every essence of the word, a masterpiece on par with any script by Oscar Wilde or Noel Coward.

BIG MOMMA'S HOUSE 2 may usher in a new era of world peace and universal prosperity. God bless Martin Lawrence!

BMH B**CHES!!!!!!

FLT3

Spring approaches, as does the weekend

As of today, 3 February, 2006, we have 47 days until the first day of Spring. Yay!

Today is going well. As usual, I am subbing at VHHS. The kids are fine, keeping the noise at a minimum and at least sort of pretending to do their work. So far, so good, and I have a back-to-back lunch and planning period, so it should be an easy day. Fridays usually are.

The King & I is going well. We have most of the show at least roughly blocked, and can start to work on refining and polishing. Tomorrow is an all-day rehearsal day, so I am hopeful that by next week we will be really getting down to perfecting the show.

FLT3

Monday Morning/Saturday Night

Once again, the week begins. As I have been for the past couple of weeks, I am at VHHS subbing today and tomorrow. I have yet to line up the end of the week, but I have been very lucky about getting sub jobs up until now, so I'm sure I will be working.

I have also come across another very interesting employment option, which I plan to accept. Details as they develop.

I was out with some friends on Saturday, and it was requested that I mention the outing on my blog. Actually, blogs in general, and my blog in particular, were discussed. As for the evening, it was a nice post-rehearsal outing to Rojo, a little neighborhood restaurant/bar on Southside. So...here is the official mention of that night.

FLT3

20 Years Makes A Big Difference

Once again, I am subbing at VHHS. Towards the end of my last period, I overheard a couple of the students (juniors) complaining about not having cell phones. Another one went off on the "crappy" Vestavia cable system that only provides 56 channels. I realized that it has been exactly 20 years since I was a junior in high school (1985-1986.) Things have definitely changed.

We had one cordless phone in the house (cell phones were not even thought of yet) and the range of this one cordless phone was roughly the end of the driveway. We had cable, but there was a clunky, shoebox-sized box that had to be attached to the tv, and the channels had to be changed manually at the box. I remember we had 23 channels, and we thought we were the ultimate in high tech. (Ted Turner's tv station was still called WTBS/Atlanta, and the other two major cable stations were WOR/New York and WGN/Chicago.)

Reagan was in office, and I remember "Miami Vice" was popular. (I think I still have a pastel blue cotton jacket somewhere in my parents' attic.) I had a poster on my bedroom wall of this hot new singer, Madonna. The words "internet," "email," "cyberspace," (and for that matter, "blog,") meant nothing to anyone, and the Star Wars movies consisted only of the Luke/Han/Princess Leia story. Molly Ringwald was making movies, and Eddie Murphy was a hilarious stand-up comedian just hitting his stride. I had my first car, a 1979 Ford Mustang, and I think gas was somewhere around $1.15 a gallon. Records made of vinyl were still being manufactured and sold.

It's official...I'm old. I've even started using the phrase "back in the day."

I have asked a few friends to comment on their own high school years. Jonathan Goldstein remembers having 3 pairs of parachute pants. He also recalled the "New Coke" fiasco.

FLT3

Nazis on Parade - Roy Moore

I wish I could say that the title of this post is some sort of humorous reference to The Producers and "Springtime For Hitler," but alas, I can not. It's not very often I post twice in one day (sometimes I don't even post twice in one week) but I am so completely nauseated after reading today's paper, I've got to purge.

"Reverend Roy" Moore, who made Alabama a national joke with his insipid and ludicrous posturing over the Ten Commandments monument, is once again proving himself to be nothing more than a narrow-minded, insane bigot. Today's Birmingham News has a large story about Roy's endorsement of Alabamians Against Same-Sex Marriage, or whatever it is this group is calling itself. I personally think they should go ahead and call themselves The Brownshirts and be done with it, but there you are. For those of you who have the paper, check out Roy's scowl and combed-over-the-front hairdo. He couldn't look more Hitleresque if he tried. Nice to see that all these ministers standing behind him are so filled with Christian goodness that they have nothing better to do with their time than allign themselves with an idiotic neo-Nazi seeking political office through the persecution of a non-threatening minority. No time to minister to the poor, console the bereaved, or spread the Gospel of Christ...got to help Roy keep them fags from marryin'. No tellin' where that can lead!

What Roy and the buffoons surrounding him have never understood is that the "sanctity of marriage" is not, and will never be threatened by same-sex unions. I happen to be a straight male, and I can say with 100% certainty that if same-sex marriage is "legalized," I will not suddenly change my orientation and marry a man. With apologies for the cliche, some of my best friends are gay, and they are among the finest people I know. They pay their taxes, contribute to the community, and (sorry Roy,) they go to church and enjoy the love and grace of God just like the rest of us. Are they sinning? I guess so, but who among us isn't?

I have gone on this rant before, and I will repeat myself... QUESTIONS OF MORALITY ARE FOR THE CHURCH, NOT THE STATE. If an individual church or denomination chooses not to recognize or bless same-sex civil unions, so be it...the Church (capital deliberate) has that right, and indeed that duty to issue opinion and policy on moral issues. There are widely disparate levels of conservative and liberal thought among the various religious faiths, and there is a place for everyone. Conservative Southern Baptists and Liberal Episcopalians worship the same God, but espouse very different types of social theory, and there are a bajillion areas of grey in between to accomodate almost any school of reasonable thought. In my humble opinion, the final arbiter of right and wrong is GOD, not Roy Moore and his band of pitchfork-weilding followers.

Roy is doing his best to create a theocracy, and he's certainly utilizing some methods that were employed by the Third Reich in pre-WWII. He's starting out by picking on the small fringe groups, rallying the "good folks of Alabama" behind him in his vile efforts. Never mind that Jesus himself preached tolerance, acceptance, and inclusiveness...I'm sure Roy would never associate himself with the outcasts and sinners of the world in an effort to bring them to God. To quote George Carlin, "that might be something that Jesus would do."

The sad fact is that this puritanical moron will probably get elected Governor of Alabama.

FLT3

The Eyesight Is The First Thing To Go...

In last week's postings, I inadvertently failed to mention some good friends who came to see South Pacific. The Miles girls (mom Anita and twins Annie Stewart and Piper) were on the front row one night, and I pretty much didn't see them. It's odd about stage lighting. I can see the third through seventh or eighth rows clearly, but sometimes the front two are a bit blurry. (I'm blaming it on the lights, but maybe I'm just getting old...) I also forgot to thank Reid Watson and his birthday party, who came as a group to the show. Many thanks to everyone who came to the show, especially those I may have failed to mention! :-)

The King & I is coming along nicely. We have blocked a good deal of Act One, and are moving at a good pace, somewhat ahead of schedule. The kids are particularly sweet and well-behaved this show, which is a very welcome surprise. The cast is huge, but everyone seems to be playing well together, which is good as backstage will be crowded! The cast is extremely talented across the board, so it should be a pretty phenomenal show. Kim D came and took measurements for costumes last night, and they are going to be beyond lavish...very appropriate for this particular show. Visually, it's going to be stunning.

I will definitely be visiting the dentist soon, as I have lost a filling...another joy of getting older, I suppose. So far, I wouldn't describe it as excruciatingly painful, but it is definitely sensitive, so I am hoping to get in to get it fixed within the next couple of days. I actually had an appointment for tomorrow at 1:00, but then I got called to sub at the high school, so I am trying to get my time moved until late afternoon. That whole working and paying the bills thing, ya know...?

Not much else to report. It has been a quiet week in Lake Wobegon, as Garrison Keillor would say. I am at VHHS today and Friday, and at Pizitz Middle School tomorrow. I will be subbing a lot between now and mid-March, when I begin rehearsal for a show at Bham Children's Theatre. It should be a very good experience, and I am glad to get into the loop at BCT. The pay is good, and the people seem quite nice to work with. Jack Mann is directing Dolly Dooley's Big Break, in which I am playing Dave Dooley. (I know nothing about the show itself, but will update when I get a script.)

FLT3

A Whale Of A Story

This weekend is starting off with a touch of surrealism...apparently a whale somehow strayed off course and swam upstream into the Thames, much to the amazement of Londoners making their daily commutes. The BBC online report said that the whale swam past Big Ben and Parliament, confusing and amusing most of the pedestrians in the Westminster area.

Even the aquatic mammals appreciate the beauty of London. I hope the whale has tea at Harrod's and drops by Westminster Abbey before taking in a show in the West End followed by a drink at some cozy little pub in Soho or Covent Garden before he hops on the tube and heads back to the docklands and home. What a happy day for Mr. Whale! (Okay, this is starting to sound like a children's book...:-)

A good review of South Pacific in today's Birmingham News, as well as on www.ebhm.org

The King & I is progressing well. Don has started to work on the ballet, which is going to be very good. I am looking forward to getting started on the scene work next week.

Subbing today at Vestavia High School. As usual, the kids are good, lunch is cheap, and the day is going well.

FLT3

Opening Night, Sort Of

Last night was technically opening night for South Pacific, but as the entire show was bought out by a corporate sponsor, tonight really has more of the feeling of an opening night...friends, family, and well-wishers are sure to be out in droves. Last night's audience was very receptive and warm, with much applause and laughter, but it felt artificial somehow. I think tonight will really have that extra edge that makes a show great. I did have the luxury of knowing one person in the audience, my good friend Ron Wilson (who played Emile DeBecque in the first production of South Pacific I ever did, and subsequently played the role for CenterStage.) It was good to see Ron, and it always helps my performance if I know someone in the audience.

I am subbing for a chemistry class today. No need for terror on anyone's part...the classes all have worksheets to do, and absolutely no explosives are being handled. As usual, it's a pretty easy job. I am also working on a couple of mental health stories for WBHM. Situation normal as far as the work and theatre worlds are concerned.

I am fighting off a case of the crud, as is typical for this time of year. Yesterday brought the sniffles, a slight cough and some pretty unpleasant sweaty chills. After drinking about a half-gallon of water (the miracle cure) I spent most of my offstage moments last night in the bathroom, but it seems to have been worth it. I am feeling somewhat better today, and can assume that whatever was making me ill was either drowned or washed out to sea.

The King & I had an excellent read-through and the leads did some music rehearsal this week. Tomorrow's choreography rehearsal was cancelled due to our choreographer being under the weather, but we will be in full swing next week. The school matinees seem to be selling well, so hopefully the show will be a financial as well as an artistic success.

It's raining today. Good day for a nap. I wonder if the kids would notice (or care) if I fell asleep.

FLT3

A Long But Productive Day

Today was a two-rehearsal day for South Pacific, which is shaping up to be a truly excellent show. All morning was spent on Act One, with the afternoon being devoted to Act Two. The set in particular is outstanding, quite detailed and on par with a first-rate touring production in terms of quality and attractiveness. I hope anyone who reads these missives will come and see the show.

I am, as I have mentioned before, particularly enjoying recreating the Captain Brackett role that Andrew Gainey made so memorable in a production I was in 20 years ago. AG was a good friend and teacher, and one of my early heroes of the theatre. He passed away almost six years ago, but I still think of him frequently. He was an amazing person who taught me a lot about music and performing.

Our cast is very strong. Kristi Tingle-Higginbotham is the perfect Nellie, cute, energetic, and full of the "sparkle" that Nellie embodies. Bill Bugg as Emile DeBecque has a rich, James Earl Jones type of voice that truly could fit in perfectly on any operatic stage in Europe or America. Jeff Johnson is a hysterical Billis, Lucas Pepke fits the dictionary definition of "Young Leading Man" as Lt. Cable, Ginger Goodall is Bloody Mary to a "T," complete with flawless voice and charming character, and Russell Jones brings the perfect "aw shucks" quality to Buzz Adams...and the list goes on...Howard Green and Raymond Quintero are ideal as The Professor and Stewpot, Don Garrett makes a wonderfully pompous Harbison, Kristen Sharp is both adorable and touching as Liat, the nurses are talented and pretty, the kids are brilliant, and the seabees are lively and fun.

The best part of all, from my standpoint, is that everyone in the cast is SO INCREDIBLY NICE. This cast really has felt like an ersatz family, from the nurses all learning to knit (no joke) to the good-natured horseplay among the seabees...everyone plays well together, and there is a true feeling of camaraderie and good will among the group. I will sincerely miss these people when the show ends.

I'm sure it sounds self-serving to promote so strongly a show in which I am performing, but it really is that good.
So...don't miss South Pacific at The Virginia Samford Theatre, January 12-22. :-)

FLT3

Looking back/Looking ahead

Since I am substitute teaching today, I have the opportunity to actually sit down and write a little review of the New Year's trip. It was great fun...Melissa and I spent 3 days each in London and Paris. Saw The Producers and The Woman In White in London, both of which were wonderful. London was, as always, glorious. There was a threat of a tube strike while we were there, but nothing came of it. The weather was dreary, but somehow even the awful weather in London seems warm and fuzzy to this anglophile! I discovered a new BBC comedy series, Little Britain, which is hysterical. It's definitely on the "must find a DVD" list. Did a few of the usual things...Harrods, the West End, British Museum, etc. as well as the usual walking around and just taking in the city.

Paris was nice, but I have officially decided that the stereotypical French snottiness has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. I almost wonder if the Parisians behave with a certain hauteur because they think the American tourists expect (and perhaps even want) to be sneered at by the locals. As usual, my smattering of French was good enough to get my point across when I had to use it. Saw the Eiffel Tower light up at midnight on New Year's, which was fun. The high point was the Louvre, where we pretty much spent an entire day and still only saw a tiny fraction of the collection. The Mona Lisa is still there, right where she's been for some time. Also saw Sacre Coeur and the Paris Opera, and ate several crepes from the ever-present street vendors. All in all, a fun but somewhat exhausting week.

South Pacific continues apace. Great cast, fun people, and an overall feeling of goodwill only slightly marred by a couple of instances of what I consider most inappropriate and duplicitous behavior by the adopted director. Won't go into details as they are not important. Enough said. The set by Ben Boyer is amazing, enhanced by a new projection-type lighting gizmo which projects crystal-clear computer imagery onto the back wall of the stage. In a word, cool. The actors and singers are doing a wonderful job, and I predict a tremendous hit. I am enjoying the Captain Brackett role, having a blast thundering and blustering through the scene work. Costumes are also top-notch, due to some pretty extensive background research by Kim and Mary, the costumers.

We have our read-through for The King And I this Sunday, and I am excited to be getting started on it. It's a HUGE cast, which is both exciting and scary at the same time. Many posts are sure to involve K&I over the next two months.

My other big project right now is doing some more writing on mental health for WBHM. I have enjoyed working on the stories I have done, and I have REALLY enjoyed the paychecks, so hopefully I will be able to knock out a couple of those next week.

Almost time for the bell.

FLT3

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

This will be short, as it's a fairly busy day. Happy New Year to one and all...my plan is to do a full post-holiday review later tonight.

Tonight will also mark the official start of the "March To Spring" as we begin to look ahead to warm weather, flowers, green grass, and the arrival of my favorite time of year.

FLT3

Intelligent Design Ranting

Okay, Christmas Eve is just a few minutes away and (as usual) quite a few hysterical politicians and right-wing nutjobs want to defile the name of God by using it for some bizzare purpose.

Yep, the "Intelligent Design" drama continues to play itself out this holiday season. With all the problems in the world today, some people still have time to worry about whether we (ie those objects in the known universe) were created by a gigantic explosion or the voice of God. This ranks right up there with whether we came from dust or monkeys on the "oh yeah, that's so important" scale, in my opinion.

Hard science vs. religious faith is an ongoing battle. Like Coke vs. Pepsi, Ginger vs. Mary Ann, or "Tastes Great" vs. "Less Filling." As with these great questions, there are very few clear answers, but the burning question in my mind is why the two can not be reconciled. I am a Christian, I go to church, and (to quote The Book Of Common Prayer,) " I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord... " I also believe in physics, logic, and Earth Science. I believe that while Divinely Inspired, The Bible has been written and translated ad infinitum by human beings. Maybe what God originally called a "day" was actually ten million years by today's standards, who knows? And does it really matter? As I understand it, faith comes from belief in that for which there may not be an immediate proof.

If a Bible story is so threatening to this scientific theory, then perhaps the theory itself isn't so solid. On the other hand, if teaching a scientific theory is going to rattle your faith to the core, then that faith must not be very strong. There is no possible way for anyone who is determined NOT to see the opposing opinion to ever understand it, so why bother fighting?

Here's my take on the whole thing: Scientific facts define that which we call "reality." These facts are essential in the creation of our life-experience. God, however, operates above and beyond that which we call "reality." Yes, God can do anything...including providing us with a set of logical explanations for the world around us. Faith and science can peacefully coexist. I am happy to celebrate the birth of Jesus without having to carbon-date the fragments of the wooden manger or test the chemical possibility of turning wine into water. I am perfectly comfortable in making the leap of faith and saying my prayers when I go to bed, even if Darwin's Origin of the Species is on my bedside table (which it isn't, actually, but you get the point.)

That's today's sermon...Merry Christmas Eve.

FLT3

Christmas Time Is Here...

Okay, admit it...you were humming "Christmas Time Is Here" from A Charlie Brown Christmas, weren't you?

Christmas is indeed, almost here, and I guess I'm ready for it. Gifts are purchased for friends and family, most of them are wrapped, and the Christmas cards are addressed for mailing tomorrow (just in time to arrive everywhere sometime around December 30th...oh, well.)

South Pacific is going very well, and the cast for The King & I has been set. I am looking forward to both, and they should both be very good shows.

That's all for now. More later...

FLT3

Always Read The Directions

...this is good advice to live by. I have just missed seeing one of my best and dearest friends who was in Birmingham for the day. For those of you who know Paul Zahl, (former Dean at Advent,) he was in town for the day for a book-signing, and I had planned to attend a reception in his honor. Well, genius that I am, I thought I knew where it was being held, and went there expecting a wonderful visit. What I found was a locked door and vacant hallways. Apparently the reception was NOT at the publishing house's office (as I had assumed.) My efforts to locate the original invitation and/or anyone who knew where the reception actually was being held were fruitless. I finally gave up and went home.

Bottom line: I screwed up. Always read the directions, kids...it'll serve you well.

Other than that, today has been a fairly good day. By all indications, Cinderella did very well money-wise, and we will be able to pay all the bills and launch The King & I with a small nest egg.

I am re-reading Angela's Ashes for the umpty-zillionth time. I am always amazed at how good it is. I have a copy of 'Tis somewhere, and will have to dig it out soon. I have never read any of Malachy McCourt's work, but I understand he is a great literary (and literal) sibling to brother Frank. As an Anglophile, I suppose I should resent the less-than-sterling images of the English offered by Mr. McCourt, the Son of Erin...however, the writing is just so damn good, I have to let it slide. If you haven't read McCourt, I strongly endorse his work.

Only 13 days till Christmas. Wow, it seems like every year, it just goes by faster and faster. I am working on a story for WBHM about seasonal depression, and while SD is a very valid phenomenon, I have to wonder if there are more of us who simply look around and say "Christmas is here? Where is it? When? Where did it go?"

Anyway, you've got 13 more days to drum up some Christmas Spirit. Fa-la-la-la-la...

FLT3

Going Back To The Ball...

Well, it's time to shift gears tonight and leave the tropics and Bali H'ai behind for a weekend and return to fairy-tale land with Cinderella, which concludes its run with 4 shows beginning tonight. I have enjoyed it, but am looking forward to getting more involved with South Pacific and beginning The King & I. (It looks like I'm definitely on the Rodgers and Hammerstein mini-marathon...:-)
Not much else to report. I am subbing again tomorrow at Vestavia High School, and it looks like I will be there pretty much every day until Christmas break. This is great with me, as I enjoy the work and definitely appreciate the paycheck! The kids are almost always well-behaved, too, so it's really a good deal.
It's raining and gloomy today, so I suppose we can assume that winter in Alabama has definitely settled in. Luckily, it never gets terribly cold (by most people's standards, but remember...I complain if the mercury falls below 60.) The main problem with December-February in this part of the country is that the world takes on a constant slate-gray veneer and everything seems moist and chilly. Oh well, Spring gets closer every day... (as I try to remind myself!)

Postage goes up to 39 cents tomorrow...mail those letters before midnight and fight "the man."

FLT3