YOUR FLAKE OR MINE...

Was PoD's [daughter] venture into community theater's 22nd. stage production this year...all alone as Stage Manager/Set Designer/Set Decor/Hall Decor...etc!

She did a FANTASTIC job as far as I am concerned, granted I might be a bit biased...;)

I, from first hand experience, know how hard Stage Managing is!
More apt title would be "Cat Herder"...if there is such a word!

The addition of other jobs just makes it even harder! Like me, she has to add extra work for added challenge by designing the set, plus help put it up and then decorate it...all according to someone Else's thoughts [author and the director]. This is not easy!

I had decided [along with her urging...;)]to continue to stay out of these productions as the burnt-out feeling that I had about participating in it, still lingers!

But... I am still available to them for any help that might be needed.

In the beginning, PoD started out with great strength and enthusiasm but by curtain time, she was feeling like I usually did...which sadly I was sort of happy about, as she was making me feel like I was a whiner with all of her energy and such.

Most will find that the task is harder than you think, as she did and had to swallow her pride by asking for some help with the set decor...

What was needed was to be more messy and she has a hard time with that as it really isn't in her nature. My advice to her was to have her think of her brother's room or maybe her kid's...

Sorry BillyRoo, AJ & JD...but it's true...;{

No problem after that!

Do you know it's been MANY moons since I have made paper airplanes!

Was fun but mine didn't fly very well!

This was just a tiny bit of help on my part!



Talking about decorating...

I wonder if we had some company watching us that day...

This is a shot that I took for PoD's scrapbook and of all of the photos that I took that day, this is the only oddity that showed up?

I know most of you out there reading this have just rolled your eyes like an annoying teenager! Like what happened to me [during the night that I attended] when I mentioned it to someone. His first comment was the usual one that I get..."QoH, there aren't ghost everywhere that you go!"

How can anyone state that?

My usual response is..."How do YOU know that for SURE?"

I can at least provide proof or at least raise some doubt on the subject, with the photos/voice recorders and videos that we have gotten with our paranormal researches!

My time in this hall, all alone some nights, as I did my sets, made me feel other wise! I have also gotten some odd stuff in the shots that are just too hard to explain away! Plus we have gossip about a lady been seen entering the stage when there was supposedly no one else in the hall? When checking there was no lady! The report was not MY sighting!

I have an odd photo of what some might call the "Orange Angel" in front of a shop on main street even! So I think I can safely say that I can create some doubt in many skeptics on the paranormal being almost everywhere. Most think that it has to be the building that's haunted but they can be wrong...it might just be the LAND that it sits on that's haunted! There are different types of hauntings and most who will visit the courthouse after PoD and I add the paranormal info to the museum, will have to admit to some truth of this matter!

That said...here's more

Poor PoD was totally exhausted and could hardly keep her eyes open in this shot. She had volunteered to put hall decorating back into the production again with decor from previous events [made by me, except for the beach people...Ducky is mine] and I was there to assist in the put up and repair. The Hollywood sign is her master piece! It's very difficult to make HUGE letters and even harder when they are made out of table paper. They have no body and had to be taped to the rails...took some time and lots of bending. One thing about theater time is the great physical work out one gets by climbing the stairs numerous times to get stuff from the groups storage room [next to the H in the photo

The photo board was done by Wilma who did a great job in directing the cats that PoD had to herd...;)

Well done Director Wilma!

As mentioned, I attended Saturday`s performance and had a great meal with the company of some equally great people. Thanks PoD!

I sat next to one of the most wonderful ladies I have ever met and we had a great time catching up on past stories of previous productions. Her and her husband have never missed a single one!

I can`t say much for the horrible idiot sitting right behind me during the play, except that `your a _hole! His name is Annoying Person...see photo below. He kept making loud comments to the characters and thought he was offering up support as an audience member, when all it did was throw them off! I hate those ones and that fact that he was drunk and or stoned didn`t help!

Our seats were closer than I`d liked but as one gets older it might be just something I have to get used to...;(

The odd outlining around the stage masks are reflective and not something paranormal...;)

The one thing I did like about these productions was the food table for the cast and crew! There was never any time to eat the meal provided or even the urge to eat a big meal while nerves ate at you so we would bring something for the snack table.

In the pic below it looks like there was an extra guest...

I hate to think there was dust around the food...;(

As for the Orb...it probably could have used the food for energy....I little ghost humor...

And for actor`s humor... there is the awarding of the `Ham Award` which amazingly PoD did! That was one thing I didn`t do! I assisted in a few on stage but never announced...not my thing! The actor that I voted for didn`t win...;(

But I must admit my second choice did!

Again there was an added watcher...

As for being a dust mote...not bad for a hall being full of people with LOTS of movement...

It should have been snowing dust motes in the picture!

In all of my shots these are the only oddities that are unexplainable to me.

As for the single orb in most of the shots looks like the one that I get in a lot of my shots. There is one paranormal guy out there that feels that these ones have a tendency to follow a person...

Is this one mine or Pod`s....


As for comments on the production...it was very funny and well done by all!

CONGRATULATIONS.....fellow thespians and crew!


And all you ghosts...;)

PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK!

[I know, with a hammer]

IT'S GONE!

20 Years of history!

I'm sad, yet I feel extremely relieved and happy all rolled into one?

Looking back now that my "Theater Scrap Books" are gone [I do plan on finishing their compiling], I feel this sense of pride at MY accomplishments with this group! Everyone who did anything with the production of these plays, worked HARD and should be more [?] acknowledged for what they ALL did! But...


This was something that I did mostly for myself!


Yes, I do admit to using it to advance my business, but it was pure "enjoyment" that had kept me going despite all of the crap thrown in my way! I really LOVED that type of life!


One of my goals in life, when I decided to have children, was to leave my mark on this world by making some kind of history [this was BEFORE I knew about my ancestor's fame] that MY ancestors would be proud of when I'm gone [this stems from my loss at not knowing much about my Dad's history].


My history might not be ground breaking/headline making stuff! But one day, after I'm gone, my children/grand children will point anywhere in town and say "MY MOM/GRANDMA made that"!


That will be MY "Pat-on-the-back"!


And now there will be a place for it in the museum that will record this too...:) !


I asked my kids what they wanted to do with all of that stuff [after I died] and they heartily agreed with me to place it in the museum. After all it is the only "fully detailed" record of our theater's history.


I GUESS I CAN COUNT "VANITY" AS ONE OF MY FAULTS...?



One thing I have learned in life is:

"Take time to pat yourself on the back once in awhile
...because ten-to-one no one else will"!

But that's okay with me too...I do have a COUPLE of fans...:)

LOST IN MEMORY LANE...? Happy times and not so happy times...

It's been a few days since blog land has seen me and it's due to being lost down the memory lane of Dinner Theater!

All it took was having to go look for some lost photos in my theater scrapbooks...


Dodge's Community Dinner Theater's first production was in 1990 and I was in it from the first conception...I designed and helped build the first stage set [& decorated it].

Deciding from the beginning, that I would keep a personal record for my family, on what I did for this group was kind of a vain thing but if I had a mother she would have kept one for me [I know I did because PoD is included...:)]!


BUT it seems I quit "scrap booking" in 2000!


I kept all of the next year's mementos but never got them compiled?


Why?


Looking back, I think mental/physical exhaustion took place after hosting the "One Act Festival" in 2000!

Was it: designing of the program for the festival, drawing layout of hall for competitors, having to be the festival's Stage Manager and Stage Manager/Set Designer for our own entry...too much?

Plus all of that happening, not long after our production in the spring, which was a very large one! Again I was Set Designer/Co-Builder/Posters/Program/Table Centerpieces/Prop Builder/Stage Manager/Prompter/Special FX...

?

So over the years this pretty well became the norm with all of the productions...


NO wonder I was too tired to record it all in my scrapbooks later!

BUT AHHH...ALL OF THOSE WONDERFUL MEMORIES...


Getting to meet all of the different people/places that would have not normally been in my life was the BEST thing about doing Theater! Seeing their many faces and antics kept a smile going constantly! There was LOTS of HARD work but LOTS & LOTS of REWARDS after!!!


I can shake my head now and smile at all of the happy memories from the past, but along with the happy memories, also came some of the sad...;(

-Remembering the "fights" with my Ex over how much time/money I was "wasting" with "these nutty" people when I should be "devoting my every waking hour" to the business! He always thought I was NUTS so as far as I'm concerned I guess I fit right in! I did have an ulterior motive when starting up with theater and that was to showcase my talents to the town. How else were people going to find out where your talents lie? So as far as I'm concerned it should have all been classified as business advertising! He could never see it that way? Besides, what I did with my spare time, should have been my own! A lot of his anger also came from how exhausted I became over the years from the spring productions and then the fall ones...he said that it took away from the business? I never completely realized just how much it did do to me...until it was too late...


-Noticing an unusual tiredness after a challenging production in 1994 and the continuing fatigue, by late summer I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes! Thankfully we weren't into Festivals yet! Doing things got harder...took longer...


-Coming across the years that hold bad memories from personal losses during productions: My step-mother [old age -2003] and my younger sister [accident -2004] and not long after that a nephew [accident -2004]! Sadly the "show must go on"!

-Then the unpleasent reminder of a dislocated elbow while on an Easter break during a production in 1997...wished I'd had taken a picture!

-Realizing NOW that I knew a young man who was in one of our productions [2000] had died in a car accident recently...:(



So now I have to try and get all of that "compiled" material together before this year's production THIS weekend....?




I DON"T THINK SO!


Don't need the stress....


They can take what I've got for now......



:)


PS: Thanks PoD for correcting me...

ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY....

This may sound silly but I am only now recovering from the high emotions that hit me while I contended with the stress that comes from "stage productions"! Having to tell myself to quit thinking about set building/prop making/cat herding/prompting...etc, has been very hard and my final "pissy fit" at the end didn't help!

During these productions [which was about 3 different restaurants], I worked on a real high, forcing myself to try to remember everything during that time frame so I wouldn't let my fellow thespians down! So when I was hit with a "it's not my fault I missed my lines because I was almost poisoned by bad food" and everyone looks at me...hit me below the belt!

After it was over, I couldn't get out of there fast enough!

No one was really accusing me or pointing fingers but it made me accuse myself! When in actuality, the bad food wasn't my fault...they were supposed to have provided me with their own food daily...my job was putting it together for their usage in the play!

It was just the lowness of someone else's comments, to cover their inability to learn their job, that hurt me the most!

I tried to laugh it off as a small minor thing but couldn't...I'm too anal about what I do and how well that I do it! It was a flaw that just ate at me!

This made blogging impossible until I could rationalize my "pissy fit"!

My mom always preached to me..."if you haven't got anything nice to say...don't say anything at all and if you can't let it go...wait til' a cooler mind prevails"!

I'm cooler now!

As for our production...it went well! Thursday night saw a small crowd of 41 people and they enjoyed the show but were pissed off at us because there wasn't a bar. How can you enjoy a bad performance without the possibility of getting pissed to help one's self get through it? Friday's crowd was larger and were allowed to get pissed if needed to...all that commented later enjoyed it enough not to! Saturday showed us a "sold out" crowd. From comments all went great!

We had our flubbed lines but the crowd never noticed...thankfully they don't get to read the script! Prompters have to read it nightly! Our group was professional enough to pull it off! I even had great comments on the set and props...when they could find me.

But my job didn't end when the curtains went down. The set had to be made right for the next evening's production. This meant washing dishes, cutlery and getting the stuff ready to take home to fill again. So I had no time to go out and get my "pats on the back" for my job well done. Some of the others did offer to help me and some did help [thank you Wilma], but by then I had already completed my tasks. Every night I ended up trying to go to sleep only to have my exhaustion keep me awake. Mornings always came too soon! I worked each day [even Saturday] to keep up with the work that was finally starting to come in.

So in all...I worked myself into having a silly comment upset me!

It's from this last experience that I have finally realized that I'm just not young [or healthy] enough to do this anymore! Getting riled up over a stupid comment was the final straw for me!

I've decided that the younger ones need to experience the stress that comes from building something to please others! If I do anything for this group again it will only be something where I need not attend rehearsals or work too hard! I love community theater too much to just do nothing...maybe the table centerpieces? I don't think I could screw them up as bad as these last ones were[not my comment, I just got to hear it later].....?

There was one bright angel that struggled with this production with me and who also cared too much on how "we are slowly losing the finer points" that are needed to pull these thing off...Wilma! She was my "taxi driver" and an ear to bend after each rehearsal...she kept me on the straight and narrow...giving me the strength to finish it! Hopefully she doesn't get burned out also! Thanks girl for all you did for me!

Lastly but not the least ,was the help that my daughter gave me...even after she told me that she "wasn't doing anything for the play this year"! I enjoyed working with her on the building of the sets...she was the strength that helped put them together! She even filled in for Wilma once when she was away. She's expressed an interest in acting...maybe I just look after my grandchildren instead...?

I wanted to have photos to put in my blog on what I had accomplished this year but my camera must have sensed my mood because all of my shots are too blurry! Must be my old age shakes?

So now my "pissy fit" is over!

TO US

Today I am 57 and my grandson is 9. We also celebrate this day with the "Traveling Dude"...My exes brother. I won't say how old he is because that's his business!

I met with the kids yesterday to give JD his present just in case I didn't get to his place to visit today. So have a happy birthday JD! I couldn't find anything on his heros...the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"...but maybe this will do!For me I'm happy to see another birthday come...I don't dread my age like some do! I'm happy just to be still alive!

My son woke me up this morning [7:30 am...6:30 his time] to wish me a happy birthday and was amazed that I had slept in! He figured that I would be at work already...he knows that I seldom take time off. He has to work today but doesn't mind as it is a holiday and will be paid extra. "Traveling Dude" contacted me also and we wished each other well....he reminded me that everyday to him is a holiday [he's retired]! I wish!

Not only is this day our birthday... it's also a holiday called "Family Day". This is a winter-break holiday and everyone gets the day off from work and school. Granted the kids here have the whole week off from school. I think the teachers do this just to show parents how great they are because they put up with other peoples children [monsters] for 10 months out of the year. Personally I think they all deserve medals for doing this kind of work!

I've been suffering with headaches lately [mostly because of the painting of props] and missed last nights play practice. Although I still did spend time working on the props while I was supposed to have been resting. I've been designing and making set props for our play for three weeks straight now! With having to do the stage managers job as well...it's beginning to tell on me. This set has been one of the hardest I've had to do in a long time and I'm still running the changes in my mind..there are some change-ups that still have to be worked out. I know I don't have to do all of this myself but I'd rather do it myself, than take the time to explain to someone else of my crazy ideas...this way they get to see the final idea instead. Explaining takes longer than doing? So I guess I better keep the whining to myself!

Anyways....the sun is shining right now [a rarity in it's self] and I think I'll take a stroll to work where I will be immersed in stage managing duties...

Hopefully I'll have time for a nap later and then, maybe, I might make play practice tonight...?

I WILL SURVIVE

Yep...made it through another emotional holiday!

Christmas came and went...thankfully I had a family to spend it with! As far as I'm concerned Xmas is for kids and without mine, it would have been very sad and lonely indeed! Watching their joy was very infectious!

I also give thanks that they have learned the value of what they did receive and showed no disappointments in what they didn't get. This was also their first year my grand kids got to use their own money to buy gifts...so they got to learn how far money really goes. They loved it!

The only drawback to the day was the "Puppy Mill" Family! Sadly my daughter's Brother-In-Law's raises small dogs and they supplement their income by selling puppies. There were 5 breeders [one due to give birth Xmas day] and 2 puppies! I'm allergic to dogs and was wise enough to take allergy pills to help combat the situation. The allergy wasn't the problem...the barking and whining of these small dogs can drive a person NUTS!!! Needless to say we didn't stay long after the supper was over which would have been nicer to spend some time with the grand kids.

Next year Xmas is supposed to be at their place [Edmonchuk] and it might be only me and my son...so it might be the blues for me...but I'll worry about that when the time comes!

I did have a rough time again with the loss of my sister "Buttons"!
It's been 4 Xmas's without her! I don't believe that I will ever get over missing her!

As usual the rest of my family let the holiday go by without ever acknowledging that we are related...I was just as bad...although I did send cards which was still more than they did! I can be thankful that my two kids keep in touch with each other! My other sister and I did connect with each other yesterday so I guess that was better than nothing.

The next hurdle to overcome is New Years Eve...which can be sad also if you have no one to spend it with! For me, I will gladly spend mine being thankful that I no longer have to spend it with a partner who treated me badly! I'm not into the partying thing...last thing I want to do is kiss a bunch of strangers so...I will opt for peace and quiet!

My New Years Resolution is to TRY to manage my Diabetes better [I've been very BAD] now that I am finally getting used to the insulin shots and the hunger pains no longer rule my mind! Hopefully I can lose the pounds that I've gained!

Oh...I forgot to mention that I stuck my hand up again and volunteered to be the Stage Manager/Set Designer for our 3 Act Play this coming year [which by the way, we are taking to the 3 Act Play Competion being held in the Battlefords]. Just finished reading the play and it's going to be a technical toughie...the story line sucks but that will be the actors problem...or maybe mine because I hate prompting!

So if I don't get around to blogging until after the new year I want to wish all my faithful fans a Happy New Years!

PS...Did you know that "Baby Doodie's" Blog gets more hits than mine does...how sad it that?

BLOGGER PROBLEMS

Seems blogger doesn't like my l-o-n-g stories!

I started my story on the "Drama Weekend" and somehow it got cut off like I was finished! I know it's not the idiot behind the keyboard...or maybe it was? Anyways...I will try again to finish it...it was so brilliant in the first place that I'm not sure that my Alzheimer's will let me repeat the story...?

Now where did I leave off.... oh ya...

We spent the rest of the day [Saturday] doing our own things...I went swimming/hot tubing and others played video games. My ankle hurt so bad that going for a walk was out of the question so pain killers and a nap was my next accomplishment...what a way to waste a weekend!

The evening started off good...until the plays started! I got some more sleep! The last play wasn't too bad but was way too long! I enjoyed the actors and their abilities to sing, dance and remembering their lines to keep this l-o-n-g play going! When asked "what play did I think was the best...besides ours"....I would have picked that one for the talent that was shown. The only drawback to them being chosen, was their loss of points due to going over the time limit! The adjudicator thought differently and awarded the "Best Play" to a play I really did not like! As with the rest of the awards...I completely did not agree with her choices! Except ours!

This year, we received an award for our "Technical/Backstage" abilities! This means that the adjudicator and the stage manager, for the festival, liked our set, sound/lights, costumes and stage presence [during practice]!

Our Wilma came away with an "Honorable Mention" for acting...my opinion is that she should have won the main award for acting and the rest of us get the "honorable mention"...of course I'm biased!...but I figured that we were that good!

The evening had dragged on for so long [12:30] that we decided not to squeeze ourselves into the green room after the performances and go back to the condos to continue sleeping!

Up early again the next morning I hobbled down to the beach with my coffee/camera and take some final pictures before leaving...just so I'd have something to put on my blog!

The trip home was uneventful and I slept most of the way...

Summation of this year's festival:

-I got to see people that I only see at festivals [some talked to me and some didn't]...

-I got to see plays that hopefully we will never perform...

-I learned that our stage/facilities and town, is nothing to bitch about...

-I got to see a lake that I wouldn't mind camping at...if it wasn't so far away...

-I got to see a town that I will probably never see again...

All in all I'm glad I went because I learned that we CAN KEEP IT TOGETHER no matter what problems hit us!

If I had a vehicle to stick it on this would be the bumper sticker I would make for it...

Might be a new T-shirt slogan....

F.A.C.C. DRESS REHEARSAL

Tuesday night was our first dress rehearsal, with a small audience of family and friends! PoD and my grand kids were in attendance as well.

I thought I'd be nervous but I wasn't!

It did help that my make-up, costume and the fact that I had to add the lettering on the other actor's shirts, kept me so busy that I didn't have time to dwell on what might be going on in front of the stage. No time to sweat it!

Before I knew it...it was time to perform!

I now know that I CAN walk and talk in front of an audience! No screw-ups what so ever!!!

Thankfully I have a costume that I can hide behind and that it helps me to be someone that I'm not! Others might disagree...as some probably figure that I'm not acting!

On stage, I'm known as "Jennifer", an interfering mother-in-law, who gladly gives unwanted advice on how others should act [oops...I think I might do that sometimes] while dressing too young [oops...I think I do that sometimes also, after all why would I have those clothes in my closet], she comes off as quite a scary person and those who know her are wary of getting on her bad side [this I know is NOT ME...or is it?].

Okay...maybe I am "Jennifer" deep down inside!

The one thing that I do know for sure is...that I have NEVER treated my son-in-law like she treats her daughter-in-law...EVER!!!

This role does make one wonder?

Anyways...PoD and I got the set done and it only took us an hour to do it plus a half an hour of running around trying to get our act together. I must admit that it turned out not too bad for a rush job. The others were nice enough to tell us that also!

Upon completion of the play I asked my grand kids how they liked it and their response was that they thought the play was very funny, lots of swearing and that I was a scary person...not like me at all! At least my grand kids know who I really am! PoD's comment was that she had a "deja vu" moment as I was leaving the stage...something that I used to do when they were younger [mostly at their Dad].

All in all...I had fun!

Now all I have to do is make it through the performance on Sunday!!!