Day 110

All the Good Ones are Married.

Lifetime Original Movies.

Trashy.
Terrible.

Totally addictive.

Day 109

National City Bank.

We live in a society of fear.

You see the commercials.
You read the billboards.
You listen to our politicians.

But do you buy into their propaganda?

Do you worry about that upcoming pandemic?
Do you stress over those potential terrorist attacks?
Do you lie awake wondering when the next stock market crash will be?

Fear.
Not worth living under.

Day 108

Holy Ghosts.

Pentecostal snake handlers without the snakes.

Last night Beck Center performed a final dress rehearsal of a play called Holy Ghosts.
I attended.

The play, while not to my personal taste, was intriguing in a PBS documentary sort of way.
Make that, part PBS Docu-drama/ part Spoon River Anthology.
Really, it functions as an explanation, not of the religion, but of the people who seek refuge within that religion. People who need a place to wipe out the past, make a fresh start, and find an understanding group of new friends who make your own issues seem obsolete.

Outcasts.
Adulterers.
Elderly.
The mentally challenged.
All find solace within the four walls of the rundown building.

And then there are the snakes.
Snakes symbolizing your struggle with the devil.
Poisonous snakes that won't bite you if your faith is strong.
Snakes are the true test.

And lets just say, imaginary snakes in this prodection work just fine.
Especially from the 2nd row.
Phew!

Day 107

Easter Lily.

Who knew that lilies are poisonous to cats?
That they cause acute kidney failure if the cat so much as nibbles on them?
Bringing almost certain death within 36 hours?

Not me.
Hope I won't have to find out the hard way.

I caught Sondheim eating my Opening Night floral arrangement while on the phone with my stage manager this afternoon, who informed me of the poison and to take him to emergency care immediately. The vet, in turn, told me to watch Sondheim closely for signs of depression and lethargy. Its the afternoon, he is always lethargic.

Watching and waiting.

Even if he is poisoned, there isn't much to be done.
They can try dialisis which can cost between $5,000 and $15,000 but its only 15% effective.

Unthinkable.

Watching and waiting.

Maybe even tossing out a small prayer here and there.

Day 106

Around Noon with Dee Perry.

My boss at Virginia Musical Theatre keeps a to do list on his computer.
He calls it:
The Big To Do

Nothing is too small to be included on the Big To Do.
Grants.
Groceries.
Greeting Cards.

He claimed it kept him on task.
Allowed him to focus.
Made his job easier in and out of the office.

For years I didn't understand the function.
It seemed silly.
How could making such a list help your day?
How could writing down a few things keep my day intact?

But I tried it once.
Just once. I was convinced that would be the end.

Now, I am a listing king.
Everything that needs to get done better be on that list.
Try it sometime.

Powerful stuff!

Day 105

Sydney White.

When financial panic threatens to ruin your day, you can:

Run screaming through the house, naked.
Blame others and sit alone on your couch with german chocolate cake.
go see the new Amanda Bynes movie to clear your mind (and empty your wallet.

Get a job.

Day 104

Geauga Lake.

The end of an era.
The dismantling of 119 years of a legend.
The closing of another valuable cultural center.

Going too far?
Quite possibly.
But it is a sad day.

Cedar Fair could have at least given us a chance to ride the coasters one last time.
View the (truly horrific) live shows again.
Eat the overpriced and unhealthy food we craved before shutting the gates for good.

What a shame.

Why, someone may ask, would you prefer run-down little Geauga Lake when Cedar Point is a mere 70 miles away?

When you enter Cedar Point, you are instantly aware just how little time is in a 12 hour day. You rush from one ride to another, barely maintaining conversation over the the sweltering heat. Your legs ache by 6 pm and you end the day with very little enthusiasm and patience.

Geuaga Lake, while not offering nearly the same amount of "thrills", provided this relaxed "no pressure" atmosphere that was easy to soak in. The lines, if any, were never long. And you could guarantee you weren't being judged by fellow attendees.

Where will we go for cheap thrills now?

Day 103

Luckys Cafe.

When its in your nature to be controlling, how do you ease up?

Do you silently stew, grinding your teeth that things could be going much better your way?

Do you make little hints and try and steer others in the directions you want things to go without being obvious?

Do you just blog about it, and hope it helps?

Life is too tough to always be the bad guy.
Learn to let go.

Day 102

Penn Station.

Have you ever made a deal with God?
Dear God, if you just let me pass this exam, I will never skip class again.
Dear God, if you help my tax return come in the mail today, I will never use my
shampoo as a deduction again.
Something like that.

Or maybe you just make promises to yourself.
Do you stick with them?

True Story (may help explain some of my eccentricities):

A little more than a week into my hospitalization (a Thursday) I was having a bad day. I was in some serious pain and things weren't really looking good. I could tell. I played dumb in the hospital a lot but I always knew what was going on. The doctors were spending long times in the hall after seeing me. The nurses seemed to come by more often. My body started to have severe reactions to the chemotherapy.

So I began to worry.
Really worry.

I tried never to let on (the first 30 days I was the strongest) but I was started to have bouts of panic when I wondered whether or not I would make it out of there.

We prayed a lot.
And kept praying and kept praying.
Still do.

So this day...late evening I suppose, it was after dinner and someone had come to visit and everyone went to the lounge to talk and let me rest.

But I couldn't rest. I started to ache, and hurt, and really start to flip out.
I kept saying, God, please let me get better. Don't let me die like this.
Over and over.

And then (this is where eyes might roll, but I'll stick to it until the end) I had this vision or visit or...something. A woman was in my room. Dressed in white. She stood next to my bed and put her hand on my forehead. She asked me what i wanted and all I could think to say was that I wanted to get better. She told me I would. I responded that if I were to get better I would never waste another minute and would fill each day to the brink. She said she looked forward to watching that. Then I must have nodded off I suppose.

The next thing I remember I was surrounded by family and there was something inside of me saying I was going to be fine, eventually.

It took me a little time but I really do try and stick with my oath that each day will be filled (even to the annoyance of my more relaxed loved ones).

Sometimes those promises we make, even to ourselves, are worth persistance.

Day 101

The Melting Pot.

Dinner with friends.

Can be exciting.
Relaxing.
Entertaining.

Expensive.


But worth every penny?
Most definitely.

Good memories will outlast this week's paycheck one hundered fold.

Day 100

Beatrix Potter.

Let me teach you how to dance.
Let me lead you to the floor.
Simply place your hand in mine.
And then think of nothing more.
Let the music cast its spell.
Give the atmosphere a chance.
Simply follow where I lead.
Let me teach you how to dance.