Unexpected Curve

Last night's rehearsal threw me an unexpected curve. Margaret, the gal who plain Martha, one of the elderly aunts, became ill after the rehearsal started to the point that she had to go home. I think it was a migraine headache. Colleen, one of the Producers, read in for her.

I was backstage waiting to go on and I missed all of the above. My entry cue comes. I ring the doorbell. Abby, the other elderly aunt, opens the door like she normally does. I ask her if she has a room to rent. She invites me in. I ask her if she's the lady of the house. She gestures toward her little sister and there's nobody there.

At this point, I'm supposed to take off my hat and say, "My name is Gibbs." I forget to take off the hat and say, "My name is Gibson."

Prior to the rehearsal I had been trying to figure out how to do a double take when she says her line about her little sister. Sue, the gal playing Aby, is something like 5'2". Margaret is over 6' tall. I was thinking a double take might be cute. I had one all planned, but it went right out the window along with my correct name and forgotten hat.

There's a lesson here. "If there's a change, make sure everybody knows about before proceeding."

Tech Sunday for Arsenic and Old Lace

Yesterday was Tech Sunday for Arsenic and Old Lace. I have been at Tech Sundays at the Guild which were absolute Hell ... lasting up to 12 hours and maybe more.

Here's what happened yesterday.

1100 hours. The Guild opens. Players begin arriving.

1304 hours, we begin Act I under show conditions. House lites down. Announcement, etc. There was no stopping to fix things. No rerunning of anything.

1355 hours, Act I ends. Paul gives notes.

1405 hours, Act II starts. Again, no stops or restarts.

1446 hours, Act II ends. Paul gives notes.

1503 hours. Act III starts.

Act III ends at 1550.

We have our PotLuck dinner.

The second run starts about 1705. My scene is over about 1745. Paul had told me I didn't have to stay for the curtain call. I was home by 1800 hours.

Easiest Tech Sundy I've ever been to at the Guild.

Groceries

In 2016 I spent $5,188.63 at Kroger. I've titled this post Groceries, but that really isn't descriptive. I usually buy stuff like toilet paper, paper towels, bird food, laundry detergent, fabric softener, etc. Sometimes I buy groceries, things like bread, fruit, desserts, cheese, coffee mate, half and half, etc.

I found it interesting that I spent that much. My lowest month was March when I spent $309.69, My most expensive month was February when I spent $560.99. I was close in December, spending $559.00. My average was $432.39.

I say spent, but what I mean is these are the amounts of my Kroger bill each month. I always paid the entire balance.

Just yesterday, I paid the bill for January 2017 and it was $628.83. I think that's the first time I've gone over $600.00. Not sure what that means.

Arsenic II

We had another rehearsal last night. I thought that what I saw of it went well. Of course, I only saw the first two-thirds of Act I.

There are still some players who are struggling with lines. But, it's coming. I keep getting wrong cues or no cues, and that throws me off a bit.

I wore my costume for the first time. It worked OK. Paul wanted me to wear a bow-tie. I put one on and my chin beard hit it. Paul said, "Wear a long tie."

I also don't own any lace-up shoes. Well, actually I have one pair of low boots that I can wear in snow that's not too deep, but they wouldn't have been right for the shoe. Karen found me a pair of size 10 wingtips that will work OK, but they're a bitch to put on and lace-up.

Eight more rehearsals before we open. I think we're in great shape.

Arsenic Rehearsal

I really like working with Paul Bruce. He is directing Arsenic and Old Lace for The Players Guild of Dearborn. Paul is good. Before each rehearsal he tells you what he wants to accomplish and that's what we do.

Paul is a teacher for the Dearborn Public Schools. He teaches at Salinas Intermediate School. That school servers a mostly Middle Eastern populations. Fifty-two years ago I was the Coordinator of Federal Programs for the Wyandotte Public Schools. We had a country-wide coordinators organization. I remember going to one of the meetings at Salinas which, at that time, had the largest concentration of kids from low-income families. I still think it's true today and Paul says 98% of the kids come from families with incomes below the poverty level. Paul is loved at that school. It's probably because he's a good teacher.

Rehearsal last night was a bit bumpy because some of the players are still struggling with lines. It's hard to be correct when you're getting strange cues or no cues at all. I have very few lines, easily the least number of lines in the show. I know mine, but I struggle with the wrong cues or no cues at all.

The set is going to be beautiful.

The balcony stretches most of the way across the stage. Behind it are faux stained glass windows that will be beautiful when lit from behind. That oak chair in the top picture was mine. I bought it one day from a guy who bought a bunch of them from a sale at one of Michigan's small colleges. 

We go at it again tonight. This coming Sunday is Tech Sunday. We'll be in great shape by then. It's because Paul is good.

21,554 and Counting

21,554 and Counting

It has now been 21,554 days since the Detroit Lions won the Championship of the National Football League. Last night they were defeated by the dreaded Green Bay Packers and failed to win the Division Championship. Green Bay won that.

The Lions did make the play-offs, backing in as the New York Giants beat the Washington Redskins.

I think the Lions will play Seattle next week.

Christmas Holidays - 2016

Christmas Holidays - 2016

We were supposed to go to Jenny's for Christmas, leaving on the 22nd and returning on the 27th. We even had the tickets on Delta and, believe it or not, they were paid for.

Julie hadn't been feeling well for a month or so. Nothing really bad, just sub-par. On Monday, December 19 she went to the doctor and called me from his office saying he wanted me to come and get her and take her to the ER. Her heart rate was quite elevated, up around 150. At the ER they confirmed the high heart rate and a cat scan revealed the possibility of pneumonia. She stayed in the hospital Monday night. On Tuesday they decided to do more testing so they kept her overnight again. On Wednesday, when radiology looked at the cat scan they detected what they thought was a nodule of some kind or another on her lung. 

They gave Julie the choice of doing nothing and observing the nodule over a month or so, or having the nodule checked out with a biopsy. She chose the biopsy which they did on Thursday and she came home Thursday evening.

The nodule turned out to be scar tissue. We're not sure what the scar tissue was from, but we were glad it was scar tissue and not something more ominous. 

We cancelled the New York trip as her doctor said it would be "premature'' to travel that far. And that trip can be stressful flying into LGA and traveling by town car to rural Westchester County. We were both looking forward to going. Ah, well. 

So, the Christmas Holidays were largely spent at home. Tom and Bill both came down on Friday for short visits. John and Lois brought some food over. (They are the Sczomack's from the Guild.) Amy and Jerry from her work brought the vendor gifts to the house. 

We watched a number of the versions of A Christmas Carol and White Christmas and It's A Wonderful Life, and Holiday Inn.

We missed seeing Jenny, Sophie, and Bob and spending time with them. We also didn't get to see Rick and Addie who live in Vermont, but who were driving down to spend a few days after Christmas with Jenny and family. We hadn't seen Rick, Addie, and Bob since the summer of 2015. Bummer. FaceTime, here we come.

January 1, 2017

January 1, 2017

I really stopped writing during and after the election of 2016. Trump’s victory was really upsetting to me, especially when you take into account the popular vote which Clinton won by something like 2.7 million.

Trump is an orange clown. He has filled his cabinet with billionaires and who knows what kind of goals they have for themselves and the country?

The photo is of Julie and me on New Year's Eve. We stayed home and, believe it or not, watched Holiday Inn. That movie was made in 1942 - 75 years ago.

I haven’t written about being cast in Arsenic and Old Lace. I'll be playing Mr Gibbs. He's the only old man who doesn't get offed by drinking poisoned Elderberry Wine. Close, but he escapes.

I'm going to try and write something every day. I will blog about Arsenic and Trump and growing older. I should tell my Grandchildren about this blog. There's some good stuff in it.