the FedEx saga

  In all of the plays I have been in (admittedly not that many) some of the actors give little gifts to everyone else in the cast and crew, or a nice note.  This time around, my son Tom, who really is a good artist, designed the T-shirts (another tradition) and I really liked the design so I decided that it would be fun to have a puzzle made of the same design and give one to each member of the cast and crew.  I thought of puzzles because there were some recurring themes about puzzles in the play and one of my lines included the word 'puzzle.'  Anyway, I thought it would be a fun idea and enlisted my son to actually order the puzzles and arrange for shipment.  I paid, while he did all the work.  He sent the order and then the nail biting began.  I didn't know that the puzzles were manufactured in China.  When the order was placed, we were told that delivery would be between November 3 and 8.  There really wasn't a faster option.  I had visions of all the container ships stuck in the west coast bays but FedEx uses airplanes, thank goodness.  The dates were reasonable except that our last performance was on November 7.  I had worrying visions of getting them on the 8th and then figuring out how to distribute them to everyone.  We're talking 20 people here.  On the 3rd my son started sending me updates as he got them.  The shipment had left China and arrived in Japan.  On the 4th, the shipment had passed through customs, after some unexplained problem, and was on its way to Indianapolis.  And finally, on the afternoon of the 5th, the box showed up on his front porch.  We were able to give them to everyone that evening, before the show started, and everyone loved them.  One lady said she was going to put hers together then preserve it and frame it as a memento of the show.  The only slight flaw was that one of the young actresses, who played the child star, missed one of her entrances because she was busy putting her puzzle together and lost track of time.  In her defense, the green room speaker wasn't working that night and she had no way of knowing where we were in the show. We covered for her and I don't think the audience even noticed.  Live theater is fun.  Kudos to FedEx for delivering as promised.  

strike

 This afternoon was the last performance of the play my son and I were in, and as you might expect during a last performance some things went wrong.  I keep thinking (hoping?) the audience didn't know, but they might have guessed that things weren't quite right a couple of times. For instance, when I caught the heel of my shoe on the edge of the chair I was sitting on and ended up limping across the stage to make my exit.  Up until then it had been a perfect scene.  Earlier in the show, I had to quickly make up some lines when a conversation (not one of mine) had been skipped and our quick witted young star had to get some necessary information into the show another way.  So she asked me a question and I gave a response that sounded perfectly reasonable, none of which was in the script, but it did the trick.  Live theater is fun, and then it's over, and in a theater like ours, where most of the participants are amateurs, the last step is to 'strike the set' which is a good way to say goodbye to the production.  Striking the set involves cleaning the dressing rooms, and other behind the scenes areas, dealing with the costumes (I was very happy to say goodbye to my fragile blue dress) putting away all the furniture and other props that make a stage set look good, and disassembling all the walls, windows, doors, and trims.  By the time we were finished, fours hours after the performance ended, there were no signs of the play left on stage.  Happily, one of the cast members, a young man who loves to bake, brought a truly excellent apple pie for all of us to share when the work was finished.  Sitting around, eating pie, and quietly talking, was an excellent way to put the play to rest.  And speaking of rest, I may sleep for the next twelve hours.  Good night.

time and more time

 Yesterday, after our evening performance, several of us in the cast went to Henry's for a late night drink and snack.  Some of the cast had been doing this almost every evening of the show but, for a variety of reasons, last night was the first night I was able to go.  It was fun, in a loud, crowded, busy kind of way, but when someone suggested going again tonight I politely declined.  It's possibly an age thing or maybe just common sense.  I decided it would be more fun to come home and turn my clocks back.  Two done, two to go.  The others will reset themselves.  My only real challenge is resetting my car clock.  It's really very easy, once I remember which buttons to push, but it always takes me a while to figure it out.  Because I'm usually in a hurry to get somewhere on time when I hop in my car, it's often three or four days before I get it done.  I know, I know, I could just leave it alone and it would be right half the year, but where's the challenge in that. 

cookies anyone?

 Today is National Easy Bake Oven Day. Easy Bake Ovens were cute little gadgets styled to look like a small stove with oven.  As I recall, the heat source was a light bulb and you could really bake cakes and cookies in cute little pans.  And they were edible (the cakes, not the ovens).  I suspect that my mother gave me an Easy Bake oven for Christmas when I was 9 or 10, in hopes that it would keep me from doing serious damage to myself in the real kitchen.  I may have mentioned a time or two that coordination was not my strong suit as a child.  My mother had reason to be concerned.  As I entered my teens and tentatively entered the kitchen I managed to burn my arm on a very hot pressure cooker, and stick my finger in a cake that I was supposed to be lightly tapping to test for doneness, burning it on the inside bottom of the pan.  My kitchen duties typically involved less dangerous pursuits like setting the table and washing dishes.  Well, less dangerous to me anyway.  I did manage to drop and break five plates at once, when carrying them to the table.  These days I have a great fondness for Corelle Ware.  When I asked my mother if I would ever be able to cook she said "Yes, you know what good food tastes like, and when the time comes you will be able to cook it."  Happily, she was right.

I wonder??

 Yesterday was Election Day in many parts of the country.  It was also Skeptic's Day International.  Coincidence?  I don't think so.  Today is World Jellyfish Day and National Sandwich Day.  It's hard to imagine celebrating jellyfish.  I mean it's not a very snuggly pet and you can't take it for a walk.  Now I can celebrate sandwiches.  I really like sandwiches.  Ham salad is a particular favorite.  My west coast brother suggested a peanut butter and jellyfish sandwich in honor of the day, but I think not.  Maybe on the west coast, but I don't think it will become a big favorite in the conservative mid-west.  If you decide to try it, let me know.

decision time

 Today was laundry day, and as I remade my bed with clean sheets (not ironed, don't be ridiculous, but fresh and clean) and, as I was smoothing the top sheet, I made the big decision.  It was time to put on the electric blanket.  After all, my favorite weather man told me that the low tonight will be 28 degrees.  Sounds cold enough for me.  Happy fall everyone.  Keep warm.  

new tricks

 On Monday afternoons I tutor a fifth grader at South Wayne Elementary School.  Last year I tutored the same boy but we spent the whole year studying together by Zoom.  Now that I've met him in person he's taller and thinner than I expected.  I suspect he had a growth spurt this summer.  He spent most of our first session, last week, telling me about the roller coasters he rode at Cedar Point this summer.  But this week we really got to work.  He's very serious about strengthening his math skills and worked carefully through a page his teacher had given him.  It mostly dealt with fractions, but also included some multiplication and division.  One problem involved what we used to call long multiplication (in the olden days).  I watched him work the problem and he did it all wrong, in other words not the way I was taught, but surprise, surprise, he got the right answer.  His way looked more complicated to me.  When I showed him my way he said yes, they had been taught both ways last year but his way was easier.  Maybe, maybe not.  But if it works for him who am I to argue?  Isn't it fun when the teacher gets taught?