may your playlist make you dance

I hope there are days in 2020

when your coffee tastes like magic...

when your playlist makes you dance...

when strangers make you smile...

when the night sky touches your soul.

I hope

you fall in love

with being alive

again.

two trips to dutch island in less than a week!

Christmas morning was quiet at my house, as the twins are at their Grammy's in Guyton.
That allowed me to truly notice how nicely the Christmas tree's lights ere reflected in this ballgown.
Very pretty!

The quiet allowed me plenty of time to enjoy a cup of coffee before getting my act together and taking it on the road.
The bunch of "permanent" wooden flowers are for my sister-in-law Mary, while the packages of Frango mints from Sue's party are destined for my niece and two nephews from that household.

In fact, here's one of those nephews!
Tyler was wearing quite a festive red sweater, but its message - "TAKE ME GNOME TONIGHT" - was not only punny, but also brought to mind the Eddie Money song and the Odd Lot show earlier this year that began my
fun with gnomes.
I just loved all of that!

My brother Smitty was also wearing red...
hey! I wonder if they planned that?
(smile)
Here he is, playing Santa after the feast.
There was even a gift for me under their family tree!

Speaking of family, here's the rest of his clan.
That's my sis-in-law Mary on the left, my oldest niece Christy in the Santa-themed top, and my nephew Zach
lounging in the chair.
(smile)

My great-niece, Caitlyn, very much liked the the Disneyworld cap!
I think she liked the Tinkerbell pin on it, too.
I'm so glad she liked that memento of our trip this summer!
Hooray!
(I hope she likes the Lego movie-making book for her birthday, too. That will be on the 30th.)

I know that my great-nephew Kobe, son of Zach and Linh, liked his gift from me!
I had hoped to play with him a bit of the newfangled game of catch, using the velcro-wrapped ball and paddles, but we didn't get the chance.
Too much else was yet to be unwrapped!
(smile)

Then, today, Smitty and Mary hosted a lowcountry boil, aimed at educating some Missouri guys about that Southern treat!
That would be Alek and Cole and Noah, of course, three of the four sons of my new sis-in-law Laura.
That's her, with the youngest boy, Noah, and with my brother Tony in between.
The game was "Man Bites Dog", about making headlines - I even played a couple of hands and was delighted!
Then I ate so much shrimp and sausage and chocolate-covered cherries and little red potatoes and peach cobbler and...
well, let's just say I won't be eating dinner tonight.
What a great time with family!
i thank You, God!

continuation of Christmas!

Michael and the girls returned home, finally, last night.
They've been at Grammy's since Saturday.
I was off with mi tres amigas when they came in, so we did the rest of Christmas this morning - hooray!
The first gift was "To: the Smiths, From: the Smiths"!
Sounds like trouble from Aunt Laura and Uncle Tony, and it was...
the game, Trouble, for all to play!
Good joke, y'all!

Then came the presents from their G'Aunt Tina - that would be me, y'all!
Leila just loved the books!
Alyssa was not so sure, but she'll get there, especially once she and her sister are able to read.
They each have three new books, all featuring the Disney characters they know and love, so that will help encourage them!

These gifts - an elephant with lots of blue for Alyssa, a turtle with lots of pink for Leila - were also from me.
They were puzzling to the girls, but that's perfectly fine.
After all, they're puzzles!
These will help the girls learn the alphabet and all the other letters!
(They have "A" and "L" down pat!)
We can play with these, and read the books, before bedtime.
Sweet dreams, I hope!

On to the gifts from Uncle Tony and Aunt Laura!
And there were they?
In these nifty new backpacks!
I made sure Alyssa got the dark blue one with the turtle on the front.
Leila likes pink, so I gave her the back with the watermelon slices.
Perfect!

What was inside was perfect for each girl, too!!!
Wind-proof jackets with "fur" on the inside of the hoods!
A pretty pink one for Leila - her favorite color!
A pretty blue one for Alyssa - her favorite color!
Daddy loved that the girls had new jackets, too!

What excellent presents!
But, wait - there's more!!!
Gift bags from Uncle Smitty and Aunt Mary!
I'd checked the contents earlier and made sure each girl got the one she would prefer.
One of the perks of having them living here, ya know, since I attend class and pay attention.
(Silly bfrb thinks I don't. LOL- the joke's on him!)
And I'd chosen wisely - hallelujah!

Alyssa absolutely LOVED the unicorn hat and put it on justthatfast!
And weren't those white gloves the perfect touch?
(Yes, pun intended!)
Leila ADORED the sweet kitty hat, with its little pink nose and the matching pink gloves!
So very pretty and just purr-fect!
The "Frozen" clothes and socks were a big hit with them, too!

Now, just one last gift to open, the one a-top each bag from that set of Smiths.
Leila found out it was wrapped pretty tightly, but she kept at it, finally able to get her little fingers under a fold.
And soon enough, it was open...

Oh, how very cool!!!
It's a PINK squirrel-like alien creature with a fuzzy white tail!
And it talks, too!!!
And its big eyes light up!

Alyssa didn't even wait to take her gloves off before she was scrambling at the wrapping paper!
Oh, look!!!
Hers was PURPLE and had a fuzzy white tail!
And, look!
Its eyes light up, too!
And their tails changed color!

Even Daddy likes the toys!
He likes them so much that he's reading the directions!
That's because the critters have a multi-function switch at the end of their tails...
and a multi-function switch on the back of their heads...
and a multi-function switch on the tips of their pointy noses...
and one on their foreheads that works with another on the back of the heads...
w - o - w.

And get this -
their tails and eyes will even have changing colors and patterns that synchronize with music - in other words, they put on dance-light parties to any songs!!!
Oh, yeah, the Lil' Gleemerz, both Leila's Adorbrite and Alyssa's Loomur, are pretty darned cool!
I wonder if I can play with one sometime?
(smile!)

having a very Odd Lot Christmas!

Best of all, I had excellent company for the improv!
Jeff and Amy are in Hilton Head
this week, celebrating their seventh year together.
We set up our "date" for this night about two weeks ago!
Dinner at Rancho Alegre first, as we'd done before when they were down for Amy's birthday.
I was so thrilled to know they'd be here for one of my very favorite Odd Lot shows!

The Soucyman was emcee for the first half, with Chris Stanley tickling the ebony and ivory - hooray!
But, look!
The music man had competition!
Sushi (aka Lilian) Soucy had written a Christmas tune and gave a command performance of it!
(I.e., her dad commanded... lol!)
The joke was on him - she rocked it quite nicely!

Then the players entered the stage for the games of the first hour!
That's Thomas Houston, Sushi, Jason Arons, Dom, Trick Kelly, and Travis Spagenburg.
The first skit de la soirée was "World's Worst", allowing them all to have a go.
And go they did, with most making a play on a job I had suggested:
ice skating announcer.
Comme c'est magnifique! Jak wspaniale! Kitana shaanadaar!
(smile!)

Two skits later, we had two guys actually ice skating on the stage at the Loft on Liberty!
Not just ordinary men, either, not by a long shot.
These were Shakespearean thespians, with Justin plotting evil mishaps against the goodly Jason!
What a hoot and a half!
And they didn't even don the feathered hat usually worn for this genre!

In no time at all, a large monster stood before us!
No worries, it was just the three-headed storyteller, there to create a bedtime tale.
Thomas, Sushi, and Jason each got a word in edgewise, repeatedly, as they regaled the audience with "The Last Reindeer".
Poor little lonesome thing!

Oh, my, a gate-crasher with a microphone in his hand!
It's the exuberant Justin Kent, in a loud and cheery Hawaiian shirt!
Mele kalikimaka, dude!
No, wait, that song doesn't have anything about mistletoe in it, so it won't work.
Queen Amy proclaimed that these K-Tell hits be centered on that festive shrub -
so be it!
In accordance with the song genres touted by Chris and Trick, Justin and Thomas did their very best, and succeeded, too!
(smile!)

After intermission, Thomas became the emcee.
The Soucyman took the stage solo.
From his memory as a 5-year-old American boy newly moved to Germany, he told the tale of Saint Nikolas... and the fearsome beast, the Krampus, which was his companion.
Bwah ha ha! BWAH HA HA!!
I'm sure the kids in the audience were glad we have Santa Claus here in the States!

It was a much-welcomed change of pace to have the "World's Best" spring forth!
For this second hour of joviality, the line-up featured Kyuu, Drew (new to me), Elliot Szabo, Megan Soucy, Justin, and Chris.
The upshot of the new "Best" skit was this: "Worst" is easier to portray.
Shifting gears definitely takes more work!

No problems with the "Dear Santa" letters, though!
Drew was the hapless chappie with hopes of finding a girlfriend and a job under his tree.
Santa Elliot had to set the guy straight: free will meant the chap needed to apply himself to win the hand of yon fair lady.
Also, Santa was not the unemployment office!
Rather funny!

My locale suggestion - an elf coffee house - was selected for the game of "Slips" - woohoo!
Elliot and Megan were a couple in search of java and they'd walked into a local place at the North Pole.
Little did they know that Kyuu was on a work-release program and would take umbrage at the mispronounced elven words!
Touchy, touchy!

This skit lightened the mood back to full-tilt festive!
Justin had to make up a song about the seated man's memories of Christmas... and what a cheery Dad-song it was, about building a trampoline and having the kids bounce on it for "fifteen seconds"!
Santa'd bought himself a new car!
And this year, the man was engaged and sang the last line, "I love you", to his lady.
Excellent work, y'all!
(smile!)

This one, though, was easily one of my favorites because it had... SCIENCE!
Specifically, Drew, Elliot, and Megan were building a diorama for their physics class.
Drew was to have gotten coconut for snow -
and he did get coconut -
but it was a whole one, not the shredded stuff - lol!
And they had Santa riding a Krampus and bouncing on a trampoline, but Elliot decided the coconut would be more impressive for bouncing!
Megan, as the smart one, knew she had made a terrible mistake by forcing the two guys to run the project.
How could she live with the failing grade they would all three get?
Hahahaha! Hahaha!

"Genre Change" pitted her husband with Kyuu.
Chris was tasked with bringing the news to Kyuu that his grandma got run over by a reindeer.
Kyuu could hardly keep a straight face!
Watching him trying not to laugh made it that much funnier!
For this photo, the genre was "Western", so Chris was a sheriff - see his right hand moving near his gun holster?
It truly was hilarious!

A few skits later, the show was drawing to a close.
Time for Thomas to take the stage for his signature closing song.
"Have yourself a very Odd Lot Christmas, laugh until you pee.
We all know it's better than what's on tv."
I may not know all the words, but I know that stanza!
Such a lovely way to show gratitude to both Odd Lot and the audience!

For the last few lines, he paused and called the other members of tonight's entertainment crew up there with him.
I just loved seeing him beaming in their midst!
I even more loved that I was sharing that glow with my ex and his lady!
Such a wonderful evening of good times and good cheer for all there!

At night's end, my "I'm on holiday" bracelet from The Casements was joined with the penny I'd found at Rancho Alegre and my uncalled raffle ticket from Odd Lot's show.
Amy had a winning ticket and garnered the biggest package of Haribo bears that I've ever seen!
She and Jeff also left with two coffee mugs I'd made in memory of their first encounter with Odd Lot.
All in all, a most memorable end to another rainy night in Georgia!
i thank You, God!

it can't rain all the time

I do so love that movie!
I'm talking about "The Crow", of course.
Such impeccable timing for it to be shown on this day, which has had naught but rain for much of the morning, all of the afternoon, and all of the evening thus far.
That has been most fortunate for me!
With the girls at their Grammy's house still, the stage was set for me to do Christmas-y things unimpeded by little ones.
What type of Christmas-y things?
(smile)
How about hauling out the bags from the gift closet and sorting out their contents?
That activity was followed by searching through the wrapping papers and bows and gift tags.
Then came the prime time fun: wrapping the presents!
I do so enjoy doing that!
Matching up the designs on the paper, choosing the right wrap for each child, carefully hiding the tape on the backside...
most definitely much fun!
I'd been able to do a bit of all that prior to sending off the gifts to Alabama for my two nephews (Merritt and Conner) and one niece (Aubree) who reside there...
but that was a full week ago.
My fingers had been itching to complete the packages for my local kids!
There's the eldest great-niece, Caitlyn, who will be 13 by month's end - I had gifts for her for Christmas and for her birthday!
Next are three boys: nephew Noah, great-nephew Kobe, and step-nephew Christian Jr.
Plus, I have four more girls, all great-nieces, none yet of school age: Alyssa, Leila, Miyah, and Chloe, in chronological order.
Miraculously, the gift closet had presents for all!
(It's a bit empty now, so I'll have to start restocking its shelves.)
So, I've been wrapping to my heart's content for the past five hours!
Now, I have a rather nice pile of gifts waiting to be disbursed and it's time for a break.
The figure-skating is all done, my supper is on the stove, and one of my favorite revenge romances is about to adorn my tiny television screen -
all is well in my world!
i thank You, God!

at journey's end on a Saturday in 1872

I forget just where I was when I ran into Jenn Bishop, or even exactly when it was.
But, when I did, I'd told her I had my ticket for December 21st, as that was the last day of the journey in the play.
"Well done," she'd said, "well done!"
Nice to have that insider joke with the mistress of the Savannah Repertory Theatre!
(smile!)

Tonight was the night, at last arrived.
Right away, I felt as though I had stepped back in time!
These shoes looked as though they had stepped through a time portal and into The Playshop.
As it was, they'd been purchased from Poetic Licence for this evening's entertainment, and by a member of the audience, not someone in the play.
Well done, I say!

I know Mama would have loved that fancy, old-fashioned, footwear!
She would have greatly enjoyed "Around The World In 80 Days", too.
Based on the book by a Frenchman, with the storyline and central character based on the world-traveling exploits of an American named Fogg, it certainly was very richly flavored!
London to Egypt, then on to India before Hong Kong and Japan before bouncing to, and through, North America while en route back to merry old England!

All for the sake of a wager...
and too much idle time on Phileas Fogg's hands.
So, off he went, new manservant gamely at his side!
The entire play was performed by only five actors, with only Fogg having a single role - amazing!!!
The set was bare bones, too, recreating trains and steamships and various offices and sites using only five chairs, one small desk, and several small signs - amazing!!!

I completely gave my imagination license to run free during the entire play, of course.
And when a typhoon at sea threatened to swamp the ship and its four riders, a huge crest of water came in my direction...
and I raised my hands and turned my face into the rushing water to be immersed within the drops!
See them on the seat beside me?
I even took a few of the "drops" home in my pocket.
(smile!)

forced to follow through

What is it about this time of year that makes folks think they can misbehave and not have any repercussions?
Seriously.
I've been waiting to return the two dolls taken hostage for dolphin-slaying.
Neither of the girls have asked about them, so they know quit well they have not yet deserved to have them returned to their care.
True, the pressure has been on, as their Daddy's work schedule has been a bit off.
That means the twins have been here, at my house, for eight mornings out of eleven.
That's 8 of 11.
The usual schedule was Friday through Sunday here, then off at Jojo's house (she's the sitter) for Monday through Thursday.
Instead, Michael's been off the last two Mondays, as well as the Fridays, giving them two four-day weekends back-to-back.
To Michael's credit, he got them out of the house a right good amount during the day...
but those mornings... ack, ack, and double ack.
So, this week, the girls were acting out on Tuesday morning, but he managed to get them up and out - at 6 AM - without disturbing me too much.
Wednesday morning, a schedule change occurred. Nana's church was having an all-day children's activity that started at 9 AM. Would I mind getting the girls up at 8 AM, so Nana (aka Venita) could pick them up?
Fine, I could do that... and I did.
I even did it cheerily, which meant I was then up for the day.
But I was able to visit with Nana while she was here and the girls had a day of fun.
(smile!)
Apparently, that was too much schedule change for the twins, though.
On Thursday morning, as well as fake crying, at full volume, they also decided to start SCREAMING at the top of their lungs in that shrill, ear-piercing way that little girls do.
At 6 AM.
Let me repeat: at 6 AM.
Michael was out warming the car for them and missed it, but he was just in time for intense quiet that followed my getting out of bed and projecting, as we teachers do, toward their closed bedroom door.
"Hey! What's going on in there?"
I swear, as soon as I said "Hey!", there was dead silence in their room.
Of course, I was far too wired to be able to go back to sleep.
Michael texted later to see if Shawna could come for dinner and I'd told him that would be "like rewarding the girls for their bad behavior" that morning. I also told him the girls would have a new bedtime of 9 PM, starting then.
I then proceeded to complain to Smitty about the girls' bad behavior, when I met with him to take care of the sales taxes.
I also complained to Kevin about the girls' bad behavior, when I met with him for our special Thursday outing.
Both were aghast that the girls were being allowed to stay up until 10:30 PM or even later.
The child psychologist was particularly concerned, saying 9 PM should be the very latest bedtime for them, as they required much more sleep than they were getting.
When I returned home on Thursday at 9:30, the twins were still up.
However, when I explained to Michael what the girls had done, he immediately put them to bed, with no movie on the tv for them that night, either.
Friday, Michael worked and they went to the sitter - hallelujah!
They went to bed when they all got home, around 9:30 - hallelujah!
I thought all was going in the right direction and was allowing myself to feel a bit of Christmas spirit.
Then, after breakfast, I went to take a shower...
and found the last chocolate dolphin had been pulled up from its place in the tub.
Alyssa and Leila were at the dining table when I bounced out of the bathroom, holding the safety decal in my hand.
"You girls knew to leave my things alone and yet what did I find? Who did this?
Alyssa ratted out her sister justthatfast.
"Leila did it," she said.
Leila said nothing.
Michael was bringing in bags from the car.
I waited for him to return, so he could bear witness.
He told me he had seen the dolphin was loose when he showered yesterday.
I told him I already knew that Leila had removed it and that Alyssa told me.
I also told the girls that I was destroying the two dolls and throwing them away, as I had said I would.
I told them that the next item of mine that was damaged would result in them leaving my house.
My house.
My rules.
Then I took my shower and waited to retrieve the dolls until after they left for a party in Guyton at Melinda and Matt's house, where, mercifully, they are staying the night.
Then, I did as I had told them two weeks ago that I would.

I destroyed the dolls and threw them into the garbage bin outside...
all except the lower right arm and hand of each.
I want Alyssa and Leila to have proof that I follow through.
(Sigh)
What an odious thing to have to do, especially at this time of year...
especially for me, when I am trying so hard to help them.
I could sure use some mothering right now...

last of the 2019 sugar plum fairies

"So, does that mean your season of crackin' nuts has come to an end?"

Yes, indeed it has. For this year, at least.

"And just how many sessions of "The Nutcracker" did you volunteer for at the Lucas?"

Well, I had two matinees with the Savannah Ballet Theaatre! Those were on the 7th and 8th. Then I ushered the one matinee performance by the Madeleine Walker Coastal Ballet Theater, on the 14th. And the last matinee I worked was today, for the Moscow Ballet!

"What?! No evening performances for those shows this year?"

Not quite. Each company had one evening show, but I wasn't able to work them. You know - busy, vibrant, all that stuff! In fact, my schedule is so crazy this year that I think I'm going to miss the Charlie Brown show - drats!

"Oh, you're really going to have to try for that musical tomorrow, you know that, right? You should be able to squeak it in before the play Saturday night... sure, you can!"

I'll try, I will. But I may be having a relapse of my sinus infection, so I'm trying to give myself a bit of idle space, to not get too tired.

"Gotcha. Good health is most def important, as you'll have guests next week."

Most def.
(smile)

"So, how were those four ballets this time around?"

Well, the programs were the same designs as last year, but with new names of dancers, naturally.

"Naturally. No doubt with some rising into new roles as they've aged."

Naturally. However, the Savannah Ballet Theatre not only had a live orchestra in the pit, but they tinkered with the story line. Theirs was the only version that had Clara slaying the Mouse King. That's right! The Mouse King had killed the toy soldier, so the girl had grabbed up the sword laying at his side and charged at the Mouse King! And killed him!! All I could think was the line from "Pretty Woman" when the princess "rescues him [the prince] right back". Brava!

"Magnificent!!! Let's hear it for girl power!!!"

Woohoo!!! Yes, indeed! Let's hear it for Savannah Ballet for such a daring change!

"Amen to that! Amazingly, no one else seems to remember that, do they?"

No, they don't. I've mentioned it to several folks who I now were there, but none of them recall the variation that struck me so strongly.

"I'm not that surprised, actually. You know about witness bias, and that's operative in all aspects of life, not just about criminal activities."

Whatever. That's pretty somber when the topic is tiny dancers at Christmas time.

"Sorry, my bad. Any other remarks about nutcrackers and such?"

Well, I wanted to be sure to point out a little discrepancy in the ratio of sugar plum fairies to nutcracker ballets.

"Oh-kay. I though there was one Sugar Plum Fairy for each performance."

Yes, that would be correct, ordinarily.

"Uh huh. So, is one of the shows without its twirling fairy lass?"

Oh, no, not at all. Each performance had an en pointe dancer in sparkling, starched, tutu. However, there was an extra Sugar Plum Fairy.

"You mean one of the shows had two sugar plums a-twirl?"

No, silly rabbit! But there was a non-nutcracker show that I worked and which featured a Sugar Plum!

"Goodness gracious! And just when did that show occur?"

It was on the 15th, a Sunday, and was the one sole performance by the One Spirit Dance Academy! This year's story, "Toyland", concerned a dastardly Professor Rewind who had kidnapped all the toys from Toyland. Mr. Hasbro, Shamrock Holmes, and James Gadget were tasked to locate, and return, the missing toys in time for Christmas. Very lively tale!

"Well, that's definitely not a nutcracker story, that's for sure."

That's right! Lots of hip hop and boogie, including "Psychedelic Shack" - that was such fun for me! I remember dancing to it in high school! I think, though, that my absolute, hands-down, favorite of the show was "Carol of the Bells" as a tap-dance powerhouse - wow!!!

"That sounds incredible! I love tap dancing!!!"

I know! Me, too!
(smile!)
And I must say my greatest surprise was hearing my whistling song at the top of the second half! And there she was - the Sugar Plum Fairy, entertaining the trio of men as they made their way through the Winter Wonderland, en route to the Land of Rewind!

"Oh, my! That sounds like quite a tale!!!"

It was, too, quite entertaining, with interludes of Christmas hymns and songs during the set changes.

"Well, I'm so glad you told me about that! I'll have to keep my eye out for it next year!"

Oh, it was a one-time performance, dear, as are all of One Spirit's shows. You either pay attention and catch it, or you miss out. As I recall, last year's was about a family on a holiday trip. I remember liking it so much that I've been watching for this year's holiday special from them!

"Very nice! They had a large enough crowd to make it worth the fee to rent the Lucas?"

Hey, the downstairs became so full that Katie opened the balcony! So, yeah, I guess they did. Plus, I found out it's only $2000 to rent the place.

"Oh, is that all? Seriously, I would have expected it to be much more."

For sure. I think I'm going to check into it, see what that basic fee covers, how many hours, whether it includes security... you know, all the stuff you need to know when planning a momentous event.

"So, you're thinking to have National Chemistry Week at the Lucas next year?"

Not the whole week, of course, but perhaps a day, that first day, as we did this year for SERMACS.

"Yeah, you know Coastal Georgia would never go for that, right?"

Well, we might have to charge some token admittance... or maybe get the City of Savannah to sponsor it or provide a grant for it. After all, the City did that for Savannah Ballet, so they could have a low-sensory performance for school kids.

"Oh, that's very cool! They kept the lights on and the sound down, things of that nature?"

Yes, and allowed low-visioned and blind youths to feel the costumes and props. Quite innovative, especially for a dance company, right?

"Most definitely. Maybe someone should ask how they applied for that grant...?"

Yeah, maybe. Maybe not me, though. Maybe someone who could add that to their APARS...

"Good luck with that."

Heard!
(smile)
Now, if you'll pardon me, I need some dinner. Later!

four more parties, impromptu and planned!

In between the too-cold-to-venture-out days and the outings at the Lucas Theatre, I've managed to attend four Christmas gatherings, two more Tuesdays with Kevin, and another Psychotronic experience!
Oh, and a film in Pooler with two nieces!
All since the 9th of December, too!
Busy and vibrant, that's me!
(smile!)
Last Tuesday found me on a very rare meet-up with Christina and Chelsea for a movie.
Part of the reason it was rare is that both of them had the afternoon off!
They'd met for lunch, then I joined them for "Harriet" at the GTC Cinema, at 12:45 PM.
Such a rare occasion at any time, but unheard-of on a weekday!
What a treat for all three of us!
(smile!)
I even had plenty of time for a leisurely return to Savannah for "Tina Tuesday"!
This one featured dinner at Kevin's new favorite (Ole Time Country Buffet) and then to southside for "21 Bridges" about cops being middlemen in drug deals.
So nice to ride and talk with the bfrb on the way out there and then back!
Honestly, that may be my favorite part of our Tuesday evenings together...
well, at least one of my favorite parts!
(smile!)

The 11th was a definite treat!
This time, the Wednesday night crowd at the 'Bean was treated to a lighthearted Italian romance!
Surely John Travolta's ears were burning as his name was repeatedly said throughout the 1979 film.
"John Travolto... da un insolito destino" certainly did explore an alternate path, as look-alke Gianni the cook, with his lack of dance moves, pursued Ilona, the dancing DJ at the hottest club in town.
Good thing the popular klutz had a posse of faithful friends who saw his similarity to the movie star and helped further transform Gianni into a double.
They even taught him some dance steps!
Thoroughly endearing, much more than Jim had thought it would be.
He billed it as a ripoff of "Saturday Night Fever", but this movie was much kinder and gentler - loved it!
(smile!)

Friday the 13th was the make-up day at GenOne for "The Art Of Racing In The Rain".
I do so love this movie, and Kevin Costner's voice for the dog is a big reason for that.
I love the story, too, even though it does have some very teary-eyed sections...
perhaps even because of those heartfelt moments.
Of course I cried, even though I told Laura I didn't think I would.
Over-productive tear ducts, ya know.
(smile!)

Friday the 13th also found me downtown at night, cold weather be damned!
Cinema Savannah was gracing its faithful audience with a rare treat: an upbeat film wrapped around a holiday eve with family!
"Feast of The Seven Fishes" had all that and more!
Christmas romance! Family shenanigans! Sibling rivalry!
And food... lots and lots of food, being prepared through most of the movie and eaten in the rest of it!

We were all starving for some of that Italian food by the movie's end!
So, off we went to Bella's for our impromptu Christmas gathering!
I was the only one to have seafood, opting for the Wreath of Ten Shrimp, aka shrimp scampi.
Barbara had the Chicken in a Bag, Sandy had Lasagna, and Carolyn dined on pasta with meatballs.
All of it was totally scrumptious, as was our dinner patter about all of those men cooking - very nice!
(smile!)

The very next night, Sandy and Carolyn and I were at Christa's for her annual Festivus!
Lauri and Lynn were there - I love the mother-daughter duo!
After the feast and the laughably bad movie - "The Gingerdead Man" - we gathered at the Festivus tree to go through the donated books.
I found a series that reminded me of "iZombie", so now I have reading matter for quiet night-time activity.
(smile!)

Two days later, on a Monday evening, I was out to a soiree at Sue Gorecki's downtown.
I am so grateful to her for including me in events with the Boomers!
That's my hostess on the left, chatting with Yvonne Serensky, a Boomer and former NK!er, like me!
Her husband, Louis Serensky, and Diane Johnson's husband, Shawn Hill, were the ones to greet me at the door, evidently serving as bouncers that night.
But I was a treasured guest, so

there were hugs all around!
Then, even more when Terri and Joe Adragna arrived, and Stania and her visiting sister, and Lisa!
So much catching up and lively conversation!
So many delectable foods and Frango mints to savor!
Sue even sent me home with those chocolates to share for Christmas with Tyler, Zach and Linh, and Christy and John.
How very sweet - get it?! - of her!
(smile!)

Now, I've just returned home from the unveiling of the Armstrong State University Historical Marker.
Was that held downtown, where the school actually came into being?
No, it was placed southside, where the school had been from 1966 until 2017, in front of Lane Library on the Armstrong Campus of GaSoU.
Fortunately, the rain held off.
Unfortunately, that meant the gnats were in session.

My longtime friend, former chemistry classmate, and fellow alumna-cum-professor of Armstrong for many years had snagged us two seats right up front.
That's Yvonne in the purple, with the pirate earrings, sitting next to me in Christmas-y red.
She and I headed straight to the reception after, to reminisce and hope for better days for the campus.

Good thing there was so much chocolate and sweet stuff up there in Burnett Hall!
We both were wearing smiles and happy 'tudes as we took our leave!
Here's hoping her Christmas break is filled with happy memories!
I'm so glad she had contacted me about this event...
and this opportunity to see her!
(smile!)