Weekend of theatre

I've been such a social butterfly this weekend.


On Friday, Left Brain and I went out to eat at Dublin Square where we ran into our neighbors, Ed and Carol.  We also got to meet their friends Rick and Nancy who also live in the valley.  Fun people.  Then we went to the La Crosse Community Theater to see "Leaving Iowa".
It was opening night and there were a couple of glitches, but the performers pulled it off nicely.  I was so looking forward to this play and felt it was a little lackluster.  Maybe my expectations were too high.

On Saturday I made a rare appearance at shul and then cleaned up things in the yard, putting away the lawn furniture and trimming back the burning bush in the front of the house.  I drained the hot tub and scrubbed it out and refilled it with fresh water.  Then I subjected my hands to the cold water of the pond and cleaned out the pump and filter and got the waterfall running again.  I like to run it as late in the season as possible.


Saturday night I went with Beth to see the performance of Jekyll & Hyde at the Muse Theater.  I hadn't planned to attend this as the story was not of real interest to me, but Beth wanted to go and I was curious to see the job Sheryl did on the costume design.  It was the same night as the Halloween Ball so many people were dressed up for the event, some gorier than others.


I was blown away by this musical!  The lead singers were incredible.  Steven Marking plays Henry Jekyl/Edward Hyde), Erin Schockmel plays Emma and Jill Iverson is Lucy.  The set design and lighting were wonderful, the performance high energy, and the sound system perfect.  It was like being at a Broadway performance right here in La Crosse!


The Muse Theatre is located on Avon Street in La Crosse in a former church that Vicki and Don Elwood have refurnished and created a hidden jewel.


The play continues through November 19th and information can be found on their website at www.musetheatre.com.  If you have never been to this venue before, please give it a look.  You won't be disappointed.


Sunday brought me brunch with Laurel (a fellow artist and valley girl) and then off to see Puss & Boots at Valley Square Theater.  Once seated we were joined by my friend, Beiver. Okay, this isn't quite the same type of theater, but it counts as three days in a row of theater attendance.  Cute movie and it was interesting that the majority of viewers were adults instead of children.  I guess I'm not the only one that likes talking animals.


The afternoon was spent delving into more of my potato masher dolls and finishing up some angels for the Bling show at the Pump House the first weekend of December.  They will be photographed tomorrow and bagged up to be ready for sale.


The only thing not accomplished this weekend was any kind of cleaning or cooking.  But I can live with that.


Long Live the Queen of Drama

Madness in a bathroom stall

Why do they do this?  What members of the public need the toilet paper this low?


You know what I'm talking about.  You settle into a bathroom stall at your favorite restaurant or store and when it's time to do the paperwork it's located in a huge plastic cylinder three feet wide and about six inches from the floor.


If the previous occupant didn't leave a paper trail to find it you have to reach up into the mouth of the plastic monster and feel around for the end of the paper....cause you sure can't look up in there unless you're laying on the ground.  And at this point you are in no position to go anywhere.


So you find yourself doubled over (easier now after losing 30 pounds, but still..) and stretching your right arm across your body and up at an unnormal angle to reach inside for the tissue you so desperately need.


And then you manage to get a hold of it and pull, only to have to feel it snap off with a teensy little piece of fluff that you know is not sufficient for the job "at hand".  So you venture in again and again.


I feel like I'm in a gym class or attempting some kind of yoga pose such as downward facing anxious dog.


Oh, did I mention it's one of those stalls that you have to walk into and close the door behind you as you face the stool because there sure isn't any room to turn around and do this.


So, here you are...doubled over, arm across the body and stretching upwards and your head inches (or touching if you're tall) the door.  Now picture this for a vertically challenged woman such as myself and as you desperately lean forward your feet are leaving the floor.


Is it just me that fears the next step?  I always have visions of being in just this predicament and going forward into a front somersault off the toidy.  And with the door so close being wedged upside down between the door and the toilet.  With my pants off.


What would one do?  Do you ask politely for someone else in the room to open the door so you can continue rolling out and come to a stand flourishing a fist full of toilet paper held overhead pronouncing "ta da!"?


This is why when in this situation I am overcome with hysterical giggling, because this is the image in my head, albeit not a pretty one.


So when you see someone walking out of the bathroom trailing toilet paper on their shoe, don't be so quick to laugh.  You have no idea the battle that she has just been through!


Long Live the Queen of the Throne

A change of supper plans

Left Brain and I are seldom on the same wave length.   He tells me how we need to be on the same page and I keep reminding him that we're not even in the same book.


A case in point.  When I unload the car I pile everything by the backdoor stairs and then bring it into the house from there.  He was helping me carry things into the house from the store.  Such a sweet man.


We were both putting things away and I didn't miss it until it was time to fix supper.  Where on earth could that salad be?  I gathered up an incredible salad at the salad bar and put it in it's own plastic bag to make sure it stayed upright on the trip home.  I remember placing it carefully right next to the trash can.....ooooooh.


I need to explain that when I scoop out the kitty litter box I often toss the plastic grocery sack out the back door .....right next to the trash can.  Left Brain had assumed it was a bag of kitty doo doo and tossed it into the trash can.


When I went back out to the scene of the crime to check, sure enough...there it was.  However, it was still intact.  The carryout container didn't spring open (a miracle) and there was nothing wrong with it.  It was just a bit scrambled up.


Supper that night was a "tossed salad".


Long Live the Queen of Dumpster Diving

Cell phone rudeness

Grrrrrr.  this makes me so mad!

Cell phones are a part of our daily existence and most of us are aware of the proper etiquette involved.  But it seems some have not gotten the memo, or feel it can't possibly pertain to them...they who are "special".  I'd add "you know who you are" but I really don't think they do.


I had the pleasure of observing enforcement of "please silence your cell phone" recently.  We were gathered in a cluster waiting for the docent to begin her presentation and the sign to turn off the cell phone was front and center on the desk.  Hard to miss.


She began her speech, which was very interesting and then the dreaded phone began to ring.  Now, this can happen to anyone...and most are quick to reach in and silence the noise and look a bit chagrined.  Not this lady, she blissfully ignored the ringing in her purse like someone trying to pretend it wasn't their expulsion of gas that is stinking up the room.  It rang...and rang...and rang.


You could see a brief glimmer of frustration on the docent's face as she pondered how to handle this.  She apparently decided the person was clueless as to how to stop the ringing and continued with her spiel to allow her to save face.   And the phone rang...and rang...and rang.

I'm thinking of adding this intercom so I
can summon Left Brain when I need him.

My G-d!  How many rings until the voice mail picks up!  And the phone rang ...and rang...and rang.  Apparently it was set for about 15 - 20 rings.  Finally there was the distinct bling indicating she had new voice mail.


Now, what would you do in this circumstance?  I think it's safe to gander most people would be glad it stopped ringing and wait until later to check the message.  But no...not her!  She brought the phone up to her ear and was listening to the message.


Now the docent was appropriately rankled.  The audience was spellbound , the history lesson she was trying to impart to us forgotten as we watched the drama unfold.  And yet she remained polite as she asked "Would you like to take that outside?"


This is where the lady (I don't know her name, so I'll just call her Ima Important) responded with "No, this is fine" accompanied by a condescending little smile.  Apparently she was offended by the docent interrupting her call.  That did it.


The audience turned back to the docent as if in a tennis game to see what the next play would be.


The docent very calmly and professionally responded to her declined offer with "No, really...I must insist that you take the phone  outside."  It was all I could do not to applaud.   Although I was curious to see if she would have actually responded to the call and started to talk on the phone.  It wouldn't have shocked me at that point.


Long Live the Queen of Cell Phone Etiquette 

New England continued

We visited a maple farm in Vermont I loved the image of this little red headed boy playing on the tractor with all the fallen leaves.


It's a much better picture after removing the road behind it and the little blond brat swinging a stick at him.  Now it looks serene.

Again with the small view.  


I was very taken with the odd growth on this tree.  


I believe it's some sort of mushroom and appeared to have watery dots on it.


Any way it was very odd and I was attracted to it, which explains a lot about my relationship with Left Brain.


No offense honey.

Finally, these are not usually my sort of photos, but in the spirit of the Divine Miss M I had to take some waterfall shots.


What can I say, these are just pretty pictures.  


Do they tell a story?


Maybe...maybe not.


But I do enjoy the sound of water, it's very soothing and calm.

This is something especially needed when on a bus trip with forty people.  


A little moment alone in nature to clear your brain.


Not that my brain needs much clearing.  


It seems to have some sort of automatic clearing of files because I can't seem to remember anything anymore.


Long Live the Queen of the Serene