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Christmas 2005 - Forgotten Blog
The Guy Who
Died in the Bathroom From an Overdose of Drugs
History Harrowed for Profit!
All the World's a Stage. . .
Beth Dies! Nobody Told
Me Beth Dies
Standing Ovations and
Coming Down the Stretch
Tech Week and Gas Prices
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December 27,
2005
CHRISTMAS 2005 - FORGOTTEN BLOG
It's been a very busy holiday season and I found that filling my
Staria Melody
orders and getting caught up with all the other holiday festivities took
most of my time, leaving this blog unattended. Christmas Eve at my
daughter's was an especially beautiful celebration, this year. With friends,
old and new, each recipe was not only fun to try but absolutely delicious.
My daughter prepared the ham, steamed broccoli, and vegetable tray, and I
brought the meat pies and candied yams (laced with cognac), and the other
guests brought a variety of delectable additions -- as best I can recall, a
hot and spicy cranberry blend, fantastic eggplant casserole, and, of course,
we all shared lots of Christmas goodies meant to fill you up and fill you
out. I can assure you that, once the table was set and the plates were
filled, there was a good solid five minutes of nothing but rollin' eyes and
gnashin' teeth!. The early part of the festivities had Elvis singing in the
background and, for our dinner and present-opening ceremony, Frank Sinatra
did the honors. Maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but just perfect for us.
After a scrumptious dessert and coffee, we said our goodbyes and either went
straight home or attended midnight services.
Times have changed and none of us have small children at home, anymore,
so we celebrate the holiday on Christmas Eve for the immediate family and
then head out to other relative's or friends' homes to celebrate Christmas
day with them and their small children.
I have lived a very fortunate life, constantly surrounded by good people
and experiences, along with those that are still very painful to remember.
Thoughts of loved ones who have gone on are always just simmering beneath
the surface and very much a part of my holidays. I'm just hoping that, once
I myself have to go to the other side, those new people who have come into
my life will also be in the circle.
I don't want to turn this into a theological study, but I do fervently
pray that we are not limited to only those that we are related to by blood
and marriage certificates. Having done extensive travel during my lifetime,
I have found a world filled with a variety of exciting, interesting, and
vital people, who have all made my life the richer for knowing them. I don't
want it to end at the corporal level. That is being selfish, I know; but,
there it is.
I sincerely hope that your holidays have been filled with the hope of
building toward and/or sharing of wonderful memories for you to cherish in
the many years to come.
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December 2, 2005
THE GUY WHO DIED IN THE BATHROOM FROM AN OVERDOSE OF DRUGS
There is nothing inherently wrong with that statement.
It is the truth, and it was spoken quite innocently and naturally by an
11-year-old child on November 27, 2005. The sad part was that it was
spoken as the child was engrossed in a video game and half-listening to the
conversation around him. He had just had new strings put on a guitar
and everyone was trying to think of a current performer he could listen to
help him learn to play. The comment was made that early rock and roll
music had plenty of songs with simple chord progressions and he might want
to try some from back then. Without looking up, he said, "Oh, you mean
like the guy who died in the bathroom from drugs," and carried on with his
game. Sadder still, we all knew who he meant.
On August 16, 1977,
Elvis Aron Presley died
in his home, in the bathroom, and the coroner found that death was caused by
too many prescription drugs in his body. There are literally hundreds
of books available, telling the story of this captivating young Southern man
who literally changed the sound of music for not only his generation but
generations to come. According to John Lennon of the Beatles, "Before
Elvis, there was nothing." All four
Beatles, who were
pretty impressive, themselves, were eager to meet the King of Rock 'n' Roll.
You can see what John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, & George Harrison
have to say about the great event that occurred on
August 27, 1965 .
No matter what anyone says, Elvis Presley was a first -- and
the first International recording star. Teenagers from all over
the world copied his clothing and hairstyle. At the time, all 'proper' young
ladies of the 50s were taught to stay away from boys with 'ducktail'
haircuts because they were rebels and a bad influence. (Goodness, Mom, he
was the pudding and we all wanted spoons!) He had found a way to
combine blues with country and a touch of gospel to introduce a new kind of
music that eradicated the color line, and music was never the same.
Everyone was blown away by his music and image. Teenagers
would never again settle for the crooners of the 40s and early 50s. With the
world enjoying a semblance of world peace under the
Cold War,
television invading the homes of Americans, the youth of the nation was
coalesced into a separate species -- no dues, no meetings, but solidarity,
nonetheless. Teenage rebellion was in and Elvis, with his black pants, pink
jacket, and white buck shoes, was the leader of the pack. What
girl/woman could not follow a man who could gyrate his hips, sing in an
almost symbiotic relationship with the microphone, and still remember to
say, "Yes, Ma'am" and "Yes, Sir," when addressing adults. Feelings for him
were intense, both pro and con, because it was impossible to be indifferent
to this amazing young man.
Some facts from a web site dedicated to Elvis's
achievements:
FiftiesWeb.com:
"Elvis Presley is the best selling solo artist In U.S.
History
Elvis charted more songs on
Billboard's Hot 100 than any other artist. (149)
Elvis spent more weeks at the top of the charts than any other artist. (80)
Elvis had the greatest number of consecutive #1 hits. (10)
Elvis is second only to the Beatles in total of #1 hits. (18)
According to the
RIAA: (Recording Industry Association of America)
Elvis is #2 for overall album sales (117.5 million)
(The Beatles sold 166.5 million;
Led Zeppelin, 106
million)
Elvis has the most Multi-Platinum albums (25)
(The Beatles have 24; Led Zeppelin and
Barbra Streisand
have 13)
Elvis has more Platinum albums than any other artist (55)
(The Beatles have 37; Barbra Streisand has 30)
Elvis has the most Platinum singles (27)
Elvis has more Gold albums than any other artist (97)
(Barbra Streisand has 51; The Beatles have 42)
Elvis has the most Gold singles (24)
No wonder they call him The King."
In addition to these achievements, Elvis was notorious for
his gift-giving and non-stop help to family, friends, and strangers.
Here is an excerpt from Chapter 12 of the book,
Elvis & You, recounting not only his gifts to
familiar charities, but hundreds of anecdotes from people he helped
during his lifetime that only came out after his death.
The
Elvis Presley Fan Clubs continue to raise money for charities and always
welcome new members.
When Elvis died in 1977, President Jimmy Carter said:
"Elvis Presley's death deprives our country of a part of itself. He was
unique and irreplaceable. His music and his personality, fusing the styles
of white country and black rhythm and blues, permanently changed the face of
American popular culture. His following was immense and he was a symbol to
people the world over, of the vitality, rebelliousness, and good humor of
his country."
What does it take to impress the young of today -- those who
have yet to accomplish anything, themselves? What are we saying to them? I'm
not suggesting the boy was wrong. We should teach our children about
the dangers of drugs -- and death from an overdose can be a pretty
impressive lesson -- but, why reduce a man's legacy to his frailty?
The boy didn't come to those thoughts on his own; he was taught them. I can
only hope that he was also taught that there are many sides to a man, some
he can be proud of and some that are best left in the shadows to be worked
on during the maturing process.
There have been four generations since the 1950s: Silent,
Baby Boomer, Generation X, and Generation Y. Is that all it takes to
go from The King to The Guy Who Died in the Bathroom From Drugs? I sincerely
hope we can do better than that in teaching our young about those who have
gone before them.
[top]
November 28, 2005
HISTORY HARROWED FOR PROFIT!
I used to live in
Fairfax County, Virginia. What
I loved most was being able to live and work right in the heart of my
country's history. Within 15 minutes of leaving my home, I could
be taking a hearing in
Courtroom 7 (at bottom
left on page) the oldest courtroom of the old
Fairfax County Courthouse, and walking to lunch under the bower of history's
legacy. Built in 1800 and a national
landmark, during the 70s and 80s, all motions and cases, from Juvenile &
Domestic Relations to District Court cases, were heard in this room on a
rotation with all the other courtrooms in the newer part of the building.
Once the
new courthouse went up, the Old Historical Courthouse became the domain
of the Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court, exclusively. It's worth checking it out
here because I can't do justice to all the wonderful historical
facts you'll discover. Patrick Reed, Associate Professor of
History, from Northern Virginia Community College, has written an absolutely
wonderful early history of
Fairfax
County, 1870 - 1900; followed up by his
Fairfax
County, 1900 - 1925 . Does it seem that I'm giving you too much
homework? Not really. It's to give you a foundation to
understand my outrage. This was beautiful country, and building was
controlled by moratorium to keep a certain look to commercial and
residential building
that went up surrounding our national historical places and landmarks.
Clara Barton,
founder of the American Red Cross housed injured soldiers in the upper
gallery of Courtroom 7 during the Civil War. Understand? I loved
this little town from 1968 until 1990, when I moved to North Carolina. Since
then, I have occasionally returned, only to be dismayed at the changes in
growth and razing of ground to make way for new housing and commercial
space. Unlike the Britons, who believe in refurbishing and keeping its
history as clean as possible, we seem to be a nation of adolescents when it
comes to our history. And, it really is adolescent to think that the only thing
that matters is today, and what's happening, now. That is what the
"new" Fairfax County looks like to me, since my recent trip last weekend,
everybody's idea of how to contribute -- today -- without thought to what
happened before and how the future generations will see how history was
preserved or even get to enjoy the same
sense of wonder that it used to hold for me.
Last weekend, going through Fairfax City was like landing on
a new planet. Construction has run amok and there is no
control over the way new building is worked into the historical setting.
It's chaotic and mind-numbing, and UGLY. Oh, yes, my beautiful little town
is truly ugly to the new eye. The lovely Old Courthouse is surrounded
by looping roads and blocking signage. I saw no pride in Fairfax City;
I saw death by development, pure and simple. I wept, and I won't go
back.
November 5, 2005
ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE. . .
Not too sure how it happened, but we opened and I managed to
get through it all without screwing up too badly. Biggest help was
working with the girls in costume so I could keep them apart! We had
small but appreciative audiences and I enjoyed the change of pace.
But, this is it for some time to come, and the holidays beckon.
One of the neat things about this little adventure was that I was able to find some
black walnuts and
Job's
Tears seeds while wandering around the grounds of the New Horizon
Auditorium between shows. It's a beautiful setting, surrounded by
trees and filled with
wonderful smaller shrubs of all descriptions. Being the fall, the nut trees
had dropped a good portion of their fruit and I took advantage. The
Job's Tears seeds dry very hard and make beautiful soft grey necklaces.
I haven't had any in my garden since I left Virginia. Plan on starting
a few pots this fall and see what happens.
Having officially retired, this was supposed to be the month
I received my first Social Security check and, of course, it never happened. So, I called my local
office and was informed that I'm not supposed to receive any benefits, after
all!!!!
What??? Seems their records show that I'm already receiving benefits.
I informed them I most certainly was not and they had better do some more
research and get it straightened
out. It's always something and I'm getting darn tired of it.
Geesh! I could have saved myself a lot of hard work and just gone on
welfare, instead of paying into the system all these years, if what they
were saying was true.
So, I had to really focus on the play whilst this little
scenario was playing out in my head during the weekend. Monday
afternoon, came the call from my representative and everything
has been straightened out but, of course, payments won't start until next
month! Well, everything in balance, is the way to see it. One moment,
you're on Cloud Nine and the hit of the crowd; the next, you're trying to
fight your way through the ignominy of bureaucracy's tangled messes. Aaarrrggghhhh.
[top]
October 31, 2005
BETH DIES! NOBODY TOLD ME, BETH DIES
What a great group of youngsters I'm meeting in this
North Carolina Kids Theatre
production of Little Women! Never missing a beat and very expressive
with full character development.
If I didn't know these were fictitious characters, I'd think they were real
people! They are incredibly patient with me and I feel horrible putting them through
my struggles to get off book in three days. I can honestly say that I think
this is the only time I've ever had a director tell me to not panic, she
trusted me enough to just
get out there and paraphrase, if necessary!
My first night with them was, of course, the first night of
Tech week and they were line perfect and where they should be, at all times,
whilst I was
experiencing everything, including the story of Little Women, for the first time. I
had no idea who was who and, since they weren't in costume, yet, I seemed to
be
always talking to the wrong little lady. My biggest shock came when
there was a DEATH SCENE -- little Beth, who spent her days helping the
unfortunate, was dying of scarlet fever! Oh.
My. God! Christmas presents and Beth dying -- I was simply not
prepared for this.
The previous statement should have alerted you to the fact
that, obviously, I've never read Louisa May Alcott's Little Women
and didn't have the first clue as to what would happen next. (My nine
pages of dialogue and monologue were nowhere near that particular scene)
My literary interests during my formative years were eclectic, to say the least,
but I have always had a special fondness for Walter Farley, Albert Payson Terhune,
the Bronte sisters, Charlotte and Emily, and Laura Lee Hope's Bobbsey Twins
series -- that is, until I found out Laura Lee Hope was really just a pen name for
Edward Stratemeyer!
(here
is the full story of all the writers for this syndicate) Oh, but, what a
wonderful world was opened up for me with the discovery of pen names. . .
I digress.
Just couldn't get myself into Little Women as a child
and then I saw the movie with Katherine Hepburn and knew I didn't want to
read it. But, with a little more time, I could have Googled and found
something that would have prepared me for the pain that lay ahead. Well, I'm off to burn the midnight oil, memorize, and create some character
for Auntie March. I still want to be the best I can for this role and need
every moment available.
[top]
October 24, 2005
STANDING OVATIONS AND COMING DOWN THE STRETCH
So far, the run has been really great! Audiences have
been fairly large (though not filling the 600+ seating) and very
appreciative. Had we stayed at Swain, it would have been SRO almost
every night. We've been getting standing ovations and no one has
screamed at us to speak louder! But, in the Reynolds Theatre it's
almost impossible NOT to be heard, the acoustics are so great. With
just a few more days left, we're already beginning to feel the nostalgia of
a show closing. It's a great group of people but I am looking forward
to resting.
Unfortunately, rest won't come quite that soon. There's a theatre in Durham that needs a
replacement character in their Production of Little Women which opens on
November 3rd and I said I'd fill in for Auntie March. The Director
said I just had to run on stage and hand out Christmas presents, then shoot
right off. "I can do that", I said, "and would be happy to help you
out!" I said yes because I have always wanted to work under Lynda
Clark's direction and this was my chance. She's one of North
Carolina's most respected and loved working actors with oodles of credits to
both her acting and directing resumes. Her sets are
always beautiful and she has a keen eye for just the right touch in
costuming. I'm pooped but I got lucky!
Once the commitment was obtained, she said she'd get me the
scenes to go over. Well, there's a bit more than just handing out
presents -- like nine pages of dialogue and a monologue! Oh, Lynda, you
owe me BIG!
Gosh, I'm barely going to have time to mourn the end of
Minyan before I have to fill my head with Auntie March -- but at least I'm
staying busy. And, the weather's great to be out in, too. For
some reason, we're in the midst of an incredibly long Indian
summer. Beautiful sunny days and very comfortable temperatures. Of
course, we're also in the middle of a drought and we could really use the rain.
Just can't have it all, I suppose.
Little Women is going to be done at a new venue, for me, at
least --
the New Horizon Auditorium, in Durham NC. It's another monstrous seating
house that is also used as a non-denominational church with a rock band
choir. Quite a juxtaposition of moods, eh what? Little Women and
a rock band for Jesus! Hope I can readjust to smaller houses, after
this. Ah, me, this life 'upon the wicked stage'. . .
This will the first time in a very long time, that I've
worked with a children's theatre, so it should be a nice change, indeed, to see
what's happening with the younger upcoming thespians in our little corner of
the world. They are all off book, right now, and I'm probably going to
have to tattoo my lines to the inside of my palms! I'm really looking
forward to this.
[top]
October 10, 2005
TECH WEEK AND GAS PRICES
This is Tech week for Women's Minyan (a theatrical term for the
"work your butt off" and "you'd better damn well be off book, by now" period
just before a show opens) and we're all pooped but eager to get to Opening
Night on the 15th. Our venue changed from Swain Hall at the University
of North Carolina -Chapel Hill, a nice 100+ seating theatre to the Reynolds
Theater in the Bryan Center at Duke University with a seating capacity of
just over 600! Projection! Projection! Projection! Check out
this online book
Light On The Hill, by William D. Snider, for a great read about
UNC at Chapel Hill.
Our Director, Joseph Megel, has done a wonderful job and we've had Naomi
Ragen's blessing from rehearsals she attended, so it should have a great
run. She plans on coming to the show, itself, just before we close to
host a Q&A session with any audience members who wish to stay. We've
been getting calls from production houses all around the U.S. wanting to
either come see the show or put up one in their own theatres. The
story is so powerful, this American voice should help it catch on with the
powers that be and, hopefully, it won't be long before there's a better way
to live life within this Yeshiva without losing the beauty of its religious
teachings. Power corrupts an individual, as much through position as
through monetary control. Theology has little to do with it. The
important thing to remember is that this play is not about Judaism -- it's
about spousal abuse and how one's governing council handles that problem.
It's been dealt with poorly in these circumstances, and things have to
change. There will be a
posting of the appellate decision on my Minyan web page, as soon as it
comes out.
Thank the lord for carpooling! The gas prices skyrocketed here when
Katrina hit New Orleans and I live a good 40+ miles from Chapel Hill.
There are times I haven't been able to take advantage of sharing the ride,
but it sure is nice when I can. I have to fill up at least every other
day and it's really biting into the old budget. Normally, I do very
little theatre work in the Chapel Hill area. Timing is everything.
Never thought my little vehicle could shoot above $40 for a fill-up but it
surprised me! I'm not alone. Everyone else is going through the same
thing and the roads look almost deserted, except for traffic that just has
to be out there. Hope things calm down, soon.
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