Thank you everyone for the many birthday greetings: facebooked, emailed, phoned (from one of my best friends), or delivered in person.  They all were greatly appreciated and helped make my day.  I am happy to announce that I have been offered and accepted the role of Barrymore in The Hound of the Baskervilles.  A much more limited role than my last but important, nonetheless.

Following my audition, I returned to E-town for mass which was being given in memory of Aunt Carol.  Quite a memorable experience.  No one beyond the back 3-4 rows of the church could hear the opening hymn because something was afoul with the sound equipment.  The organist leaned over the loft railing and asked me to run upfront to see what I could do with it.  Being the technological genius I am, I went into the closet and flipped the switch and voila!  Father Steve wears a pack on his vestment and usually turns it off when he is not speaking.  However, he for some reason, kept forgetting to turn it off and lets just say that he does not possess the most glorious voice ever.  Just being honest.  To lie about a priest surely is not a good thing.

After mass, I traveled to H’ville for an impromptu birthday celebration.  I provided a bag of Sun Chips.  The reason for this… the bag they come in is made of some type of material that creates a very loud, obnoxious sound when the bag is rustled but the Harvest Cheddar variety is tasty.  Thank you Mare for the yummy, German Chocolate Brownie cake… a little too much water necessitated the need for an additional package of brownie mix and the result was delectable.

Travis brought an assortment of games.  I was really tempted to pick my obvious choice and was encouraged to do so since it was “my day.”  However, I picked Trivial Pursuit.  Started off well and went downhill.  Later, Amber brought Star Wars Trivial Pursuit and we divided into teams.  I tried to be intelligent and attempted to pick the person I thought would help me most, but that idea was nixed.  I did all right the first round until I received a question I had not excuse for missing.  “Who lives out beyond the Dune Sea?”  UGH!  I was victorious in round two.

After some stargazing and a return to Mare’s house, it was time to hit the road at 4.30AM!  Megan pooped out shortly before.

July 11, is always memorable as I have a liitle buddy who turned TWO!  After I got home @ 4.50Am, I sent a cool ecard as well as a response to my own birthday ecard.  Hope you had a super birthday, BEEBS!

Also yesterday, Yankees fans lost a great one.  Bob Sheppard was the voice of the Bombers from 1951-2007 when his health prompted him to retire.  The voice of the great ones… from Dimaggio, Mantle, and Berra, to Mr. October, and to Captain Jeter.  Ups and downs throughout but Mr. Sheppard had one of the distinct voices in the box.  So beloved that Derek has the voice resonate each time he steps up to the plate.  An honor which humbled the announcer.

And I still have today off until I go back to work!  A fact that stymied a co-worker of mine who thought I was going out of town.  How she came to that conclusion is beyond me.  Coming from one who likes to change schedules without informing the other person involved I didn’t really pay much attention to the comment.  I will be going out of town next Monday and Tuesday.

Ok… this post is quite long enough thanks again everyone!

While everyone else dispersed to the various ballgames for the evening (a niece and a nephew actually played against each other on the t-ball field while another was in a neighboring community), I took my 5 year old niece to Story Hour at the library.  I had taken Syd to the first gathering a few weeks ago and learned that someone needed to stay for the entire hour (of course, this was after I left and came back after the hour).  Tonight, I stayed for the entire hour.

It was a cute hour… thankfully, I knew a few of the parents (one being a church organist I know). This week being dolphin and shark week, we heard true life stories about each of the creatures.  Then the kids sang “If You’re Happy and Ya Know It.”  Then, arts and crafts in which the little ones made tear out sharks.  They took a piece of construction paper and tore their sharks and glued them to another sheet of paper.  No snack… Sydney was slightly miffed about that.

I remember Saturday morning Story Hour at the old library.  I attended (until I was in the third grade) and later was the leader.  The one thing I remember aside from the stories, Farmer in the Dell, London Bridge, and musical chairs was my darling, Susie.  She was the library’s resident mascot.  A rather green, birdlike marionette. Who knows where she is now?  To the great aviary in the sky, one might surmise 😉

But, it was kind of fun to see the little ones hearing the stories (even adding their own commentaries at times) and being creative

I kept telling people that the 60+ degree temperature and sunny skies of last week was premature.  This weekend saw a return to more seasonal weather.  Saturday, I tagged along to the zoo.  Since I had to be back for mass at 6, I drove myself.  I did fine until I exited the turnpike and took the wrong branch off.  Fortunately, my mistake was remedied quickly as all I needed to do was turn around and head back.

Upon paying for admission, I decided to get a membership to the place since for some reason, I ave been quite a bit of zooing lately.  Not that that is a bad thing… as the slogan goes “I Love My ZOO!”  and not a bad deal either.  Discount prices to many zoos throughout the country plus I can bring a friend free each time.  Plus, I got to help a complete stranger by allowing him to get in on my pass.

Because the weather was cold and rainy, our band spent most of the few hours in the indoor exhibits.  The little ones spent a large part of it at the indoor play area.   They even took part in an activity in which they made toys for the birds!  The little one occupied himself with chalk and a beehive.  My little buddy!

After the zoo, we checked out Crazy Prices!  A very cool store with CRAZY Prices!  I picked up a fleece OSU blanket for $5 which usually runs upwards of $30.  Will come in very handy later tonight!  I looked at some hooded sweatshirts that were just as reasonable… BUT… wouldn’t ya know… the largest they had was a Medium.  I’m sure I’ll be back!

After returning and singing at mass, a friend and I closed the evening by watching Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.  And this leads me to wish everyone a Happy Pi Day.  If you don’t get the connection, watch the very fun film!  We won’t get into the hour loss.  Just happy that is behind us and can now catch up on a bit on the rest!  What a Super Saturday!

is every other Saturday… my second day off each week.  Today was jammed packed.  It started about 10 AM when I turned on the radio waiting for a familiar voice to be on during the Blizzard Auction that benefitted the WCCT.  I also happened to hear about one of the items that was up for bid that sounded absolutely thrilling: a guest directing gig with the City Band during one of their concerts this summer.  I not only walked away with that but also a $25 gift certificate to a local restaurant as well as a night’s stay at the Holiday Inn.  Unfortunately, I missed the voice I thought was to be on from 10-12 this morning.

This afternoon, I went to my niece’s 4th and 5th grade basketball game.  The game was thrilling in that it ended in overtime. Unfortunately, Elizabeth’s team came up a few points short.  What was even more (I’ll say) interesting was the opposing team’s coach.  She not only was off the bench yelling and screaming at the 9-10 year olds much of the time, but at one point, she went on the court and attempted to demonstrate to one of her players how to play the game.  For her efforts, the coach was given a technical foul.  Setting a good example for the young Catholic Schools teams.

Later, I went to mass and then met Megan for a walk.  At least the wind has died down considerably since Thursday.  We walked from her house to the Little Theatre where I picked up my items from the auction.  We made great time but by the time we reached the theatre we were quite welcome for the break and warmth inside.  After walking back to Megan’s place, I went to McDonald’s for a quick bite on my way home and some hot chocolate!

Here’s hoping that the theatre makes a bundle from the proceeds and puts it to good use.

A very different and fun game night was had into the wee hours of this morning (check out the post time).  Megan and I made our way to visit with some of my many new Village Players friends and play some Star Trek and James Bond Scene It with a little Trivial Pursuit thrown in.  I must say that I was impressed very much with Travis’ vast knowledge in Trek.  I need to brush up on some of the more obscure episodes including The Lights of Zetar.  Really… even my knowledge does not stretch that far.  But thank goodness for My Play and the IDIC (Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations) category of questions… pop culture surrounding Star Trek that tests knowledge of things not necessarily dealing with the “Wagon Train to the Stars.”

I must say that my knowledge was better served in the James Bond version.  Just please don’t ask me what make and model vehicle he drove in anything but Goldfinger (the Aston Martin DB5 with modifications).  Who would have guessed the model of car that Jinx arrived in at the ice hotel in Die Another Day? But I did clean up in that game.

The Trivial Pursuit game we played was very unique and very fun.  You had the six categories to pick from but each category was divided up into six boxes each card had 6 different levels of difficulty.  The level was determined by the roll on the die: 1-6.  It was very possible to win each piece with a level 1 question… however unlikely.  There is also an added feature that allows such things as face offs in order to win a pie piece, and the ability to move an opponents marker to any space on the board making it harder for the player to win a piece.  Very fun and pretty much for everyone!

Thanks Mary, Travis, Jen, and Megan.  It was a BLAST!

This morning, Mom and Dad and I went to pay our respects at the funeral home.  None of us could go last night so we went for the gathering before they processed to the church.  We KNEW that the rather small church would not hold many people and with 10 children, 38 grandchildren, and who knows how many great grandchildren, there would not be many places available for other than very immediate family members.  I was hoping to catch Britt there but she must have been running late.

After, we returned to watch Elizabeth play basketball.  A riot watching the young girls begin to develop.  Autumn was great although she missed a shot and her mother yelled “USE THE BACKBOARD!”  Yep, definitely her father’s daughter 😀 .  I thing Elizabeth did more sliding across the slippery floor.  More than once, she got the ball and OOPS… whistle blows and traveling called.

I was also asked if I would like to get tickets to Wicked coming in April.  Of course… most musicals are worth at least a try.

And tonight, I am taking my sister and two young ladies to see the Santa Claus play.  They have been asking, and asking about it and finally it is almost here.  I must say that I am pretty excited myself.

Unless of course you are reading from some part of the world which is still living in October 31st.  My holiday was EXCELLENT even with the working part.  Friday, I got into my vampire costume complete with double-layered cape, full facial makeup, tuxedo, the whole nine yards.  I even got to frighten my young nieces.  Poor Sydney may not speak to me for a while.  As always, I had an awesome time with friends playing games all pretty loud and late, but great times!!!!

Today was another long Saturday at the store.  Unfortunately, no costumes allowed… What crazy place is this?! However, I was allowed to sit on the ledge infront of the store to hand out candy…. as long as I did not go overboard.  Hopefully, a bag of Starburst, Baby Ruth, and an assortment of kisses, Rolo, and Reese’s PBCs was not too much.  I did get to see the nieces and nephews in their get ups.  Shelby was a sorceress of some kind; Joshua was the ULTIMATE NERD; Elizabeth was a dark ninja; Alex was a police officer; Alyssa was a 50s chick complete with poodle skirt and a “leather” jacket I seem to recall from a show or two in years past; Noah was a skeleton; little Sydney was a cowgirl.  All adorable.. here is 5 of the seven.

Unfortunately, the 50s chick is not wearing the black jacket.  Hope everyone had a spooktacular Halloween.  And The YANKS are up 2 games to 1.  2 more wins and they will win their 27th WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP! My favorite part of Game three: pitcher Andy Pettite had a hit, RBI, and was nearly passed by Derek Jeter as the two made their way home!  Final Score: Yankees 8… Phillies 5.

Now… I can enjoy my extra hour of sleep.  Don’t forget to fall back!

Not to be outdone here are little Chloe and big sister Kyli all the way rom Alaska.

Not one, not two, but THREE hauntings were on tap in the Windy City Friday night.  It was soooooooo cool… (so maybe not the hour long wait in the line that never moved that went on and on my friends) but even that did not damper my excitement.

First stop was the Ditka Dome for the Haunted Mansion and Asylum.  Our group of six was divided in half and Mare, Derek, and I went in second.  This was more focused on the jump out and scare you approach… been there done that, but it was still fun.  A 12′ man on roller blades was interesting.  As we made our way through, I was once again amazed that the inhabitants kept saying my name.

We then made our way to Eleventh Hour where we had VIP tickets.  There were four attractions in one: a corn maze (nothing special), and a three segment haunted house.  Even outside the haunted house, we were entertained by actors being pused in wheelchairs and a crazy British woman giving orders who was unwilling or unable to take a photo of another couple who braved the terror.  The haunted house was really amazing, full of actual scenes in which the actors stayed in character the entire time.  I enjoyed the “Sweeney Todd”esque character who greeted us with a history of the house.  The stairs then lifted a la the Munster case without Spot the fire breathing dragon.  Also inside was the much mentioned little screaming girl, a walk in freezer, a live rock band, a very disorienting maze, and an elevator of doom.

Our final stop was Evil Intentions.  The story line for this one had to do with an old coffin factory (if memory serves that was the actual location… was it not?)  This was the spot for the dreaded wait of doom.  When we finally got in, we were all placed in separate coffins before being led through the terror.  A locker room separation, a crawl through vents (I was half expecting a creep to come at us), and by the middle of the haunt, 4 of us had been led away leaving Chris and I by ourselves and eventually being required to sing a song to leave the haunt.

If I had to choose, I would say that Eleventh Hour was the scariest house of horrors because the whole thing was so elaborate that we all could tell that so much time had been put into the extravaganza.  Evil Intentions minus the wait was very cool, too.  And while not as memorable, I’m glad we went through the Haunted Mansion and Asylum.  A frightfully good time with ghoulishly cool friends.

OK… Mare and I will soon be on our way to the state of ILL in America Country.  I have Vera loaded up with directions along with mapquest printed directions, hotel check in sheet, and printed tickets (Justin Case), and cell phone.  Mare had to work last night and just called and told me she would be here soon!  WHHO HHHOOOO!

Last night’s audition went well.  I listed all the male roles I could think of (the adult ones, anyway ). I still think I could pass as one of the Bailey children.  I did forget another role, that of Mr. Martini who is an Italian immigrant who has a traveled to America with his a wife.  That a could a be fun!

Lots of people came out.  LOTS of kids.  Squirmy and his daughter came up and he read well.  But Jade… OMG… if ever there was a heartwarming, scene stealer… I think it would be very hard to find a more adorable Zuzu.  Results Sunday night.  Read-through hopefully next Thursday.

This must have been the day for fall festivals.  Here in E-town, we had what must have been the second annual Fall Fun Day at the fire hall.  Games for kids of all ages, a chili cook-off, pie judging, think that was about it.  Since the boss was in charge of the chili cook-off, I got to work the early shift.  I thought at Least I would get a bit of chili whwn she returned after the event was over.

After work, I was invited to go to a corn maze that is right outside of E-town which I had no idea had been going on for the past few years.  Heck, I had no idea there was a campground just outside town.  Unfortunately for us, the rain decided to hold off until our band of maze venturers found ourselves lost and then made our way back to the starting point… somehow.

After I went to church, I headed over to the county airport where the theatre was holding its first annual Oktoberfest.  Great fun, GReat food, FANTASTIC band (sorry I missed the polka), just a great time.  Happily, the rather dismal weather did not dispel a rather sizable crowd from attending.  I thought the turn out was really great.  It will be interesting to find out how much we raised.  I was really excited to see Peg there helping out.  She really is making her presence known in the theatre.  GOOD FOR HER!  Be sure to catch her in her stage debut when the WCCT presents Little Shop of Horrors October 9-11 and 15-18 (think there is a Thursday night show the second week).  Break a leg all!

I must say that I have heard good things about the Junk Yard Band but they are fabulous.  Playing everything from the 60s to the 80s.  Really fun music.  Mom and Dad 2 were there, too keeping us in stitches.  I participated in the So, You Think You Can Dance (Or as I clearly have state… I don’t think… I KNOW I CAN’T DANCE) contest getting a 28 out of a possible 30 points.  Personally, I think the last judge was rotten to the core but that’s just me.

Ok… off to bed so I can be fresh as a daisy for work at 9.  No rehearsal til Monday.  Must be that good.