haas ossabaw

What a different type of day this has been!

Rabbi Haas has started holding classes over at Asbury Memorial... in improv!!!

When I saw "Improv Fun & Games" in the church newsletter, I thought perhaps he would be performing for us.

Nope!

The nine of us there - me, Tim, Wayne, Tom L., Audrey, Marsha, Lynn, Peg, and Lenny - were asked to perform, with his guidance.

I think maybe they were prepared to participate from the get-go, but I caught up fast.

Good thing I took that improv training with Odd Lot back in 2012!

I was involved in three different bits.

That started with "gift-giving of worst gift ever" with Marsha as the recipient.

I gave her a bag of sand with dead flowers and stuff!

A little later, we did the same routine as part of "Half-Life", this time with me getting the mystery gift from her... and she re-gifted the bag of sand to me!

We did that in 30 seconds, then 15 seconds, then 5 seconds, then 2 seconds - hahahaha!

The next time, I interacted with Peg for "ABC", with us working out.

Haas let us go all the way through "J" with our sentences!

And for my last bit, I was with Wayne, with him as the teacher for adult ballet - that was fun!

Especially as he is quite old and I'm no spring chicken... and I was the student!

All told, we had fun for 75 minutes, and will be doing it again on February 4th.

I'll look forward to that!

Off to my next event of the day I went, trying to miss the 5 PM traffic southside.

That's because the "Ossabaw Night In Savannah" was at the Armstrong Center of GaSoU.

Here's what's surprising about that: the event was promoted by the Telfair Museums group!

That's how I knew about it.

Others there were regulars, like Pat and Roberta Johnson.

They've been here for these annual updates about the island for the past three years.

I met them when they came over to share the table with me at the reception.

What a lovely discussion we had about my name and the first time I saw it in Rome!!!

I'm so glad Tom Nelson had snagged this table, and doubly glad that he made sure to invite me!

In fact, he and I had a quite lovely talk, as it's been a few years since I last saw him.

We keep up with each other on fb, so when he pulled out the photo of his 3-year-old granddaughter, I was able to tell him "what a striking look" she has.

She'll go far with that unique face and her strong demeanor.

Who else did I see at that sumptuous reception sponsored by Gulfstream?

Oh, yes - Pete and Fran Zipperer!!!

They were getting their name tags at the same time I did.

I kept thinking we'd see other professors out there, but I didn't recognize anyone.

Oh, I take that back!

I'm pretty sure that's Joe Guy's friend, Robin, with that straight-edged haircut and gray shirt.

I didn't notice her until I downloaded the photo at home.

I took the shot for the red-headed man at the far left, speaking to us about "The Ossabaw Island Project, Genesis, and Of The Coast Of Paradise".

That's because he's Beryl Gilothwest, the grandson of the woman who once owned Ossabaw Island.

The island was deeded over to the State of Georgia during President Jimmy Carter's time as POTUS.

They didn't mention his recent death - at the age of 100, with flags still at half-mast - but they did mention a former council member who was one of those who died last year.

That would be Lainie Peterson, who I knew through Barbara as "her friend down at Tybee Beach".

Small world sometimes.

So what was the talk about?

Two artist projects from the past, as well as the new one that'll have its results debut in 2026.

Erin Dunn, of Telfair, is the one who spoke of that.

The highlight will be a movie, "Venus of Ossabaw", which will be screened on the exterior wall of the Jepson Center, as well as in the Neises Auditorium.

That should be awesome!!!

I'm so glad the winter has relented somewhat.

The WSAV weather song is picking up a stream of higher notes through Saturday!!!

Sure, it still features night temperatures that are ten degrees below our normal... but those are experienced mostly in the predawn hours, when I'm still toasty in bed.

Believe me, I'm grateful for the reprieve!

PULSE starts on Thursday and I love that festival of arts and technology at the Jepson.

I'm so looking forward to being able to go!

everlasting, or the last?

That was the question still tugging at my post-anesthesia brain tonight as I went off to the Smiths & Kamerons Friday Fiesta.

I decided to let the evening's end make the decision for me.

If the dinner time with my brothers ended around 6:30 PM, then I would be off to the event with the 7 PM start.

However, if dinner ran a bit longer, then it would be the 7:30 PM entertainment for me.

Easy enough, n'est-ce pas?

(smile!)

I began dinner at my usual place, standing between Laura and my youngest brother.

I told them, and everyone else, about "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever".

"It would be a wonderful family outing about the reason for the season!", I said.

They seemed to be interested, so maybe they'll take Hope and her boys.

That would be very nice!

Then, after ordering the beef nachos, I moved up to Becca's empty chair, as she was off with her mom tonight.

I had intended to stay only until the servers came with our food, but, before I knew it, the nachos were in front of me, cheese bubbling hot!

 

I switched from sitting to standing, to keep that high-top chair from waking me up with sciatica on Saturday morning, as it has in the past.

So I carried on talking with Jimmy and Mark about "Conclave".

Rather, Jimmy and I talked, but Mark was definitely tuned in.

(smile!)

I do hope they'll see it, as I'd like to get their perspective, as Catholics, on the story.

Then the bills came, and the hugs came!

That was very nice, too.

The time was just after 7 PM.

Decision made for me, it was off to Jenkins Hall at Armstrong for me!

(smile!)

The Last Laugh Improv Troupe was offering fun, fun, and fun, and for free, free, free!

That was an unexpected bonus for my wallet!

The stage contained 8 chairs, as well as two pairs of stools at each side.

That foretold a pretty large number of performers!

Pam Sears came up to greet me, then she and her husband (Les) sat behind me.

Most excellent!

She said something about this being a very inclusive group of young people, but I figured that just meant the usual: color-blind, gender-blind, orientation-blind.

It also includes those who are other-abled!

 

That was not just for show, either, as Dylan O'Brien was called to take part many times.

The second sketch was called LCD and the players were Luke, C J, Deja, and  Dylan.

That acronym stood for "Location, Career, Death (cause)" and we in the audience shouted out those parameters once the players (except Luke) went back stage.

Well, all except Luke. 

Like the old kid game of "Telephone", he (Luke) was charged with miming the L, C, and D to the second player (C J, in this case) until that player understood what they were.

Then that player would mime to the third person (Deja), as the first person (Luke) lay "dead' on the floor.

Then, the third person (Deja) would mime to the fourth (Dylan) until that person "got" what the LCD was, and then collapse to the floor, "dead".

At the game's end, the dead would rise again and the troupe captain would ask the foursome if they understood what the parameters had been.

That was definitely part of the fun!

They all knew that the location had been "nail salon" - applause for them!

Only the first one knew "lunch lady" (which had been my career suggestion!), but C J knew it was someone in food service.

And they all knew that food was the cause of death, though none but Luke had guessed that the particular dish was "pizza".

Applause for all anyway!!!

(smile!)

Some of their sketches I already knew from years of watching Odd Lot: "World's Worst", "Press Conference", "Slips", "Freeze" - such fun!

I hadn't known the troupe was taking audience lines on pieces of paper or I surely would have contributed my two cents' worth!

Some of my favorite Odd Lot skits had been "Slips" seen with my ex and Amy!

In the game of "Slips" tonight, Melanie, Liana, and C J were "grave robbers" tasked with digging up some treasure while interspersing the audience's suggestions with their own.

Very funny when they realized the treasure was Michael Jackson!

(smile!)

Odd Lot did "Freeze" sometimes, but also did a variation called "Changing Channels", which still consisted of two players on stage at a time, with other players tagging in to change the direction of the unfolding dialogue.

Let me see, what else?

Oh, yes, the other skit new to me tonight: "Top That".

They played as teams, with a person from each team facing off against an opponent.

They were given a motion to do, such as waving two arms up and down, and then tasked with saying what they were doing.

They took turns until either one got flustered and stalled, or the timer went off, then the winner of that round would be determined.

That game had five rounds, plus a last-try round to see if there would be a tie.

Definitely a fun evening!

My thanks to the Universe for putting me in the right place, right time!

Now, time for bed!

After all, on Daylight Savings Time - which I still keep - it's after midnight.

My brain, and body, are requiring at least 9 hours of sleep lately, so that is what they shall most definitely have.

Listen to your bodies, y'all!

butterflies, tacos, and a flashback

I took out some trash and recycling and caught movement out of the corner of my eye!

The butterflies and moths were supping on lantana nectar!

My bushes aren't nearly as lush as they have been in the past, but plenty of  insects thought they were still lovely!

My heart was filled with gratitude to be able to provide this oasis to the wandering travelers!

Soon enough, it was time to go see family at Jalapenos of Sandfly!

The Smiths & Kamerons Friday Fiesta had arrived, and all the usual suspects were there!

I ordered three crunchy beef tacos again, and I'm glad I did.

Not for my, but for brother Tony!

He was glad to have one, with its flashback to dinners of our youth!

But be not confused - that's not the flashback referred to in the post title.

I'm getting to that, truly I am.

After dinner, I'd taken my busy, vibrant woman self over to Jenkins Hall on Armstrong, looking forward to a night of free improv with "The Last laugh".

Sadly, that must have been cancelled.

So I bopped over to AMC with my A*List in hand, hoping to get lucky.

Fortunately, the new movie, "Saturday Night", was in previews - 

right place, right time!

That movie was absolutely perfect for me tonight!

I was only 15 years old on October 11, 1973, when the show first aired.

What a flashback to that very night, tonight, exactly 51 years later.

Right place, right time, for a movie I'd not been that excited about... and that just may net me a trip to New York City!

The movie, almost a documentary, absolutely nailed the frenetic pacing of everyone involved behind the scenes of any show - whether a musical, a play, or a TV broadcast - in the last hour or so before the show goes live.

The casting director is to be commended, too, for perfectly assigning roles to actors that captured the look, sound, and mannerisms of the actual people in that first episode of the "Saturday Night" show.

How wonderful to see again faces long gone: Gilda Radnor, John Belushi, George Carlin, Jim Henson, Andy Kaufman, Michael O'Donoghue, and Billy Preston.

Bravo!

I was in search of laughs... and this movie certainly delivered!

Maybe I'll even give the television show, "SNL", another shot tomorrow night.

I've been out of the habit of watching it for years.

(smile!)

let's all party with jimmy fallon!!!

Seriously, y'all!

He knows how to have fun and having good clean fun is what he does best!

No snidely snark, no blue shock, just lots of positive vibes and belly laughs!

What a nice change from the other shows on the late-night circuit!

The 48-year-old was absolutely beside himself to have Mickey Dolenz singing "Last Train To Clarksville" back on February 28th.

And how did he convince that 77-year-old to do so?

He handed him a tambourine!!!

It was fabulous!

 

Last night, he had Maude Apatow from the new production of "Little Shop Of Horrors" that's on Broadway now.

Anyway, in true form, he had another special guest from that musical.

Wanna guess who?

It was Audrey Two!!!

I was dancing right along with them as it sang about "the guy sure looks like plant food to me", urging Seymour to feed him!

Very nice!

Tonight, Jimmy showed up as a mystery guest on another show. 

That made me very glad that I've been watching "The Voice" for the Blind Auditions this season.

I've backed off from the show the last few years, as it just seemed to be very competitive between the judges and I wasn't digging that gnarly vibe.

This time, it still has Kelly Clarkson as well as Blake Shelton, with this being the last season for him.

But there are two fresh faces, with decidedly different fresh - and younger - perspectives on the auditioning artists.

Those new guys would be Niall Horan - he'll be 30 in September and was part of One Direction, a boy band not of my ken - and Chance The Rapper, who'll be 30 next month.

Chance was the first to turn his chair when he heard the voice singing "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)" - he had just been on Jimmy's show, playing peanut butter and jelly Tic-Tac-Toe!

The others turned around in fairly quick succession, all except Blake.

He said he knew it was Jimmy and he didn't want to encourage him to keep singing - so Jimmy walked over as he was finishing the song and hit the button to swivel Blake's chair!

Hahahaha! Hahaha!

Now, pardon me while I go back to "That's My Jam", the music show hosted by Fallon, with a fabulous list of real musicians willing to make fools of themselves while doing covers of other people's songs.

I love this improv show!

Jason Derulo just did "The Thong Song" as if it were an opera number... and he rocked!!!

I can't wait to see who wins the gold boombox!

(smile!)

and the best supporting award goes to...

... (bet you'll never guess)

... ('cause you're thinking about films or television shows)

... (and not considering sports)

... (even though wrestling has long been considered staged work)

... (even though you have to have heard me talk about staging in baseball)

... (so get ready to add another sport to the mix)

... Kadarius Toney!!!

Yeah, I know the quarterback got the MVP award, but without golden gloves to catch those passes, and fleet feet to have the man in position under that hurled object, the score would have been zippity-doo-dah.

 

So, why this particular wide receiver and not another?

He made two utterly amazing plays for that KC Crew.

It's the fourth quarter and the other team has finessed the lead by making two low-scoring, but well-played, field goals.

Now, a touchdown was needed to bring the team out of the 6-point hole it'd fallen into.

And whaddaya know?

Nobody was watching that right-hand part of the line!

He was able to just skip right across and score!

Then, moments later, he has control of the ball again.

Down the field Toney runs, ball clutched tight!

Ten yards, twenty yards...

thirty, forty, fifty...

sixty-five yards he ran, never getting touched!

That beautifully set up the next player.

The other team expected a run down the middle -

but they ignored the open left-hand corner,

allowing Skyy Moore, another wide receiver,

to literally stroll across for his touchdown.

Wow.

I'd like to say that ended the game, but it did not.

The other team made up the eight-point deficit with a touchdown and a conversion (running the ball instead of kicking over the field goal) to tie up the score.

Wow.

And the clock kept ticking...

with the ball under control of the KC team...

as folks wondered:

will there be an overtime needed to break the tie???

Nope.

That's when I realized that football has a resemblance to chess, just like baseball does.

It's all a matter of perspective and something one of the announcers said gave me that connection to other sports that utilize strategy.

Each team can be thought of as an improv troupe, with the coach serving as director.

Based on the lines/plays that have been performed, the coach tries to direct the next course of action, cuing the players to speak/move in a way to drive the story forward.

With chess, to slow down a game, smaller pieces are taken and different spaces become the travel routes toward the king.

With baseball, to slow down a game, players take walks or pitchers get changed.

In tonight's game, the strategy was to deliberately throw incomplete passes or to deliberately have the quarterback kneel or to deliberately have a caught ball be taken out of bounds instead of across the goal line.

Seriously, I watched as the player put his foot ON TOP OF THE GOAL LINE, but not beyond it, just before he stepped off to the side, making it an incomplete pass.

The coach was deliberately running out the clock so the other team would not have time to get the ball and score.

But how to break the tie?

With a field goal after the third down, leaving just 8 seconds on the clock.

Well played, well played!

Thanks for showing me the smarter side of this sport.

michiganders in the 'vannah!

The best thing about long holiday weekends?

Seeing folks from out of town!

Jeff and Amy were in Savannah because... well, as the ex put it, "stupid cheap air fares made it ridiculous not to go!"

Seriously!

Plus, they had 'free' lodging at TRYP, too.

All the more reason to fly south and take in events they couldn't get back home!

Oh, and visit with me, too, and other folks.

(smile!)

They spoiled me rotten, I must admit... and I loved every bit of it!

They even picked me up, so I wouldn't have to deal with parking - how 'bout that?

Then we dined at The Crystal Beer Parlor, a place I used to frequent on Monday evenings after class, to play trivia with the Liquor Posse and others.

This time, I tried something new: the shrimp salad sandwich.

Yeah, I seem to be on a kick with those lately!

Actually, I find myself eating shrimp in whatever form this year: grilled, or boiled, or fried, or even on a skewer - yum, yum, yum for all, I say!

We had such a good time talking and catching up that we found ourselves having to rush in the drizzle for the matinee at Club One!

This was the premiere of "Rockabye", the first work of many to come from Sushi Soucy... and just in time for his/their 20th birthday.

The Lovecraft-flavored musical has teen musicians stuck with an outerspace babysitting gig and features a cast of mixed-gendered young people.

Amy got meet the playwright's talented dad, Chris, from whom she got part of her writing and musical talent.

Aunt JinHi was there, too, as well as Lynita and Monica from trivia days and A-frame parties.

Plus, my friends Patrick and Sarah - from the years of JavaFlix - had driven up from Jacksonville.

So good to see so many I love, all in one place!

After the play, Amy had bought tickets for another show for us three: "Top Secret" with Front Porch Improv!

This is a scene from my favorite skit, "late-night call-in talk radio", with the ditsy duo responding to 'callers' reading the audience's play slips - very funny!

But I also liked the skit where everyone died - lol!

Shades of a favorite from years ago that Odd Lot did for their favorite Korean for his birthday!

Afterward, we left the sold-out house to wander back to midtown.

They have a "surprise 60th birthday" breakfast with Andy and his wife, Sheryl, in the morning, then they venture back to Jacksonville for some leisure time.

Monday, they'll be on a silver Allegiant bird, flying north by northwest.

Hmm... seems like there should be a song about that somewhere!

(smile!)

And me?

Spoiled rotten, I tell ya... and loving every bit of it!

(smile!)

macbeth... and random acts of insanity

Who would have guessed that this episode of VLTAT would have two topics that go so very well together that they could be synonyms?

Certainly not I!

I certainly had not planned for the two to mesh so well...

I mean, not consciously, I mean...

so it must be the universe stepping in and setting it up, to see if I'd notice.

What a marvelous inside joke between me and the powers that be!

(smile!) 

First was the Shakespeare classic, one which always transports me back in time to Mrs. Thorne's senior English class.

This time, the story was told on the silver screen at Cinematique, in the form of the 2021 film, "The Tragedy Of Macbeth".

Denzel Washington played the title role, and did so very well, but the actor who most impressed me was Brendan Gleeson as good King Duncan, treated most foully.

I very much enjoyed Stephen Root's performance, too, as the Porter, adding a splash of mirth to the madness all around.

Afterward, I had only about an hour's break until my favorite Floridian improv troupe stormed the stage.

Not enough time to return to the condo, so why not a little walk?

I only got as far as the tobacco shop.

Rain was spraying gently, not enough for a soaking, but more than was needed to dampen and chill, especially on this cool night.

So, I stood in that alcove, humming to myself, watching others bustle hither and you.

Then... a young man walked by, singing!

And just what was that tune springing forth?

"Waiting for a star to fall, 

carry you into my arms, 

that's where you belong, 

in my arms, baby, yeah!"

Wow!!!

I tried to sing along, but couldn't seem to catch the right key.

Still, what a wonderful treat!

Not quite like having a poem created for me, 

but, still, such a treat!

RAI let me know my suggestions were appreciated, from the very first game of "99 ___ walk into a bar" to the dark and creepy "Press Conference" a little later.

There's Jenna, Andrew Ramos, Matt, and Danno (with an unseen Sam on the sidelines as emcee).

They took my word - "keys" - and came up with puns galore, such as "99 keys walk into a bar and it was off the chain", and "99 keys walk into a bar and they had rings" and "99 keys walk into a bar and they turned and locked up" - hahahaha!

Then, a couple of skits later, we came to the "Press Conference", with Jenna, Andrew, and Danno as reporters tossing out hint-laden questions to help Matt, the 'celebrity', determine just who he was and what it was he had done that made him famous.

'Shrek' said I, and someone else added 'Ghost', so he was 'Ghost Shrek and he had killed Baby Yoda'.

Like I said, pretty dark and creepy! LOL!

Another skit, then one of my favorites: "Three-Headed Opera Singer"!

(Odd Lot always did this as "Three-Headed Story Teller", but I like the addition of the music!)

This had all its input from Gary, a guy whose wife had volunteered him for "Fill In The Word" earlier.

So, just what did Gary do?

He had Jenna-Andrew-Matt (I like to think of them as JAM!) sing a love song to Barbara, about one of her favorite activities: skiing!

It really was a high point of the show!

Well, it was for me.

I like the more positive stuff, not the dark and creepy negative vibe.

For instance, the very last skit, a long-form story called "Grandpa's Attic", featured a pyramid of German skulls, a magical globe that seemed to do everything except restore people's ability to walk, and a yo-yo made of linen.

I know, that last item sounds pretty innocuous, but it was the reason Grandma couldn't walk.

I don't know how the grandson was able to keep his cool after these horror tales.

Then again... just because I don't care for that genre doesn't mean others feel the same.

From where I was in the back corner, the rest of the audience liked it.

Just know this: I left with a smile!

I had gone out front to congratulate the troupe on their show and one of them, Matt, made a point of coming out of the mix to chat one on one with me.

You know why?

He wanted to thank me for being a regular!

And how did he know I was?

He recognized my hair.

Isn't that the coolest thing?!

(smile!)

Now, I'll have to remember that #RAI is on TwitchTV and see if I can catch them there.

(smile!)

turkey Turkey TURKEY

"So, are you going for a riff on that 1970 war movie?"

Maybe just a little bit, but mostly I was pointing out how that one word had three different meanings tonight.

"Really? Were you at Philo Cafe for a discussion?"

No, I was at another Odd Lot show, the Monday night one that I have always enjoyed.

"I thought you had movies in Pooler to attend or something. Hadn't Carolyn asked about that new Indian film and when you might go?"

Yes, she did, on the way to meet with Sandy at Barbara's Oscar-viewing party. How very nice to be able to see it on a regular-sized television set!

"Yes, it was, as opposed to last year or in years past. Now, what about the possible trip to the Royal? "

Oh, yes, I had to tell her 'no' for tonight. Lord, do you know who I just thought of when I said that? Jim! Old Jim Trott of...

"...of "The Vicar of Dibley". Yes, dear, I know. Whyever does your mind keep straying so far off course? "

Sorry, love. Let me see, I was saying... yes, I had to tell Carolyn 'no' because I had promised myself more Odd Lot and Mondays are only $5. So, that's where I was tonight. I think Wednesday is looking good for maybe an Indian doubleheader, catching up on last week's "Gully Boy" as well as "Total Dhamaal". Of course, that's if I can get the times to mesh a bit better...

"Please, work on that another time. Right now, I'm just trying to find out why you titled this post about a bird."

Au contraire! Ce n’est pas seulement un oiseau, mais aussi un pays et un bowling!

"Um, okay. Something something bowling..."

My bad! You know, I have so missed the Francophone Film Festival this year, now that Armstrong has been completely merged into...

"Sigh. "
(Tapping foot and arching eyebrow.)

...But that's neither here nor there, is it? Yes. As I was saying, the word 'turkey' not only refers to a bird, but also to a country and to a term in the game of bowling.

"And those Odd Lot folks used it in all three ways, did they?"

They did! You would have been so very pleased! One of the skits had Zach, Jason, and Bobbi Renee pose as bowlers. Zach played this obnoxious over-achiever that managed to score strikes on adjacent lanes using just the one ball! That's when someone asked "If he does that for all ten frames, does that mean he gets a double turkey?" LOL! I'm pretty sure he would have been disqualified if he was bowling in a league! Also, it takes strikes in three consecutive frames to have a turkey. Whoever it was talking about the sport thought a perfect score of 300 was a turkey. I guess that's because of the three in a row needed...

"Jeez Louise! You were so jam up and jelly tight, my girl, and now you're rambling like you were the other day! You need to listen up and let me tell you this: we are not going to be up until 4 AM tonight, no we will not."

Gnome, we won't be, I promise.
(smile)
And you can blame the running bear for this ramblin' road! When he saw the photo on fb of me with my prize, he'd quipped a little faux talk.
Him: Is that your date?
Me: Gnome it is not.
And that's when I realized how much it 'sounded' like someone saying "no ma'am", but slurring it together into one work, like we do down South.
Pretty cool, right?

"Yes, that is pretty cool. He's Southern, too, so he probably did that on porpoise."
(grinning widely)

Exactly what I was thinkin'!
So, where was I... oh, yeah, telling you about tonight's improv. So, I've talked about the bowling turkey. The word next appeared in a skit I've never seen before, called "Dubbing", in which a volunteer from the audience pantomimes while one of the odd Lotters provides the dialogue for the volunteer's character, like for foreign films.

"Got it. So who was in the skit?"

Well, Trick provided the voice for the volunteer. Bobbi Renee was also in it, as the 'wife'. They were on vacation in the country, Turkey, or so they had thought. LOL! Skyler was also in the skit, choosing to serve as a tour guide. He was, too - but of a turkey farm or turkey ranch or whatever you call a place where turkey fowl are raised! It was hilarious! Add in that the 'husband' was afraid of turkeys and the 'wife' had taken him there to help him get over his fear. Very funny stuff!

"How about that! Two turkeys in one skit!"

Exactly! I just laughed and laughed!

"Like you did on Saturday night? "

Yes, though maybe not for as long, as this was a much shorter show. Saturday's show was so long that it had an intermission, so it was 10:30 before it was done. I was back in the car before 9:30 tonight.

"You think maybe all of that laughter ramped up your serotonin levels so much that you couldn't get to sleep?"

Well, I think that's a pretty reasonable working hypothesis. After all, that molecule is known to be active in the central nervous system for the regulation of mood, appetite, and sleep.

"Well, look at you, still talking science!"

Oh, you betcha. Why wouldn't I be? I've been doing that for more than half my life!

"Yes, you have, my dear. Even in high school, even in the Navy, really. Electronics is scientific, too, based in physics, rather than biology or chemistry or anatomy."

Yes, ma'am! Even subconsciously, my brain still keeps working to solve puzzles, putting together bits that don't seem to have any correlation.
This amino acid is decarboxylated to form serotonin. Notice the bi-cyclic core both molecules have.

"You mean those two rings with the arm hanging off the smaller one? Yes, I see the similarity!"

Well, this amino acid - drumroll, please - is tryptophan, the amino acid purported to be responsible for causing drowsiness after consumption of turkey at Thanksgiving.

"Sure, I've always heard that! Because turkey has so much more tryptophan in it than any other meat does, right? But, wait, you used that word 'purported', like it's an urban myth or something."

Well, that's because turkey-induced sleepiness is a myth. Turkey has no more tryptophan than does chicken or beef or lamb or pork or most meats. Overeating carbohydrates, like the dressing and pies and cakes, is the true source of all that sleepiness. You can read all about it right here.
That also explains why I sleep so well when I have a little bowl of cereal before bed.
(smile)

"Wow. And you put all of this together based on the turkeys in the improv show?"

Yeah. Pretty wild, right?

"Right."

The story gets wilder. Just you wait.
I almost didn't go to the show. In fact, I'd pretty much decided to just stay home, but I could feel myself being pushed out the door.

"Right place, right time. "

Right place, right time.

"i thank You, God."

Absolutely. And because I was on fb earlier, I realized that tomorrow is Mardi Gras. Tara was talking about King Cake in the stores and I knew what that meant - paczki time was finally here again!
The show was over in plenty of time for me to run over to Publix for my fix!

"Yes, I know you love those raspberry ones. Don't forget about Mister Willie!"

Oh, don't you fret! I picked up a box of the apple ones for him and Gloria! In fact, the one box of raspberry and the one of apple was all they had left! None had been out, so I'd asked the bakery clerk about them and he came forth with them from behind the counter. Hallelujah!

"Yes, dear! I guess you've had one? "

I have... and I don't think I'll need cereal to sleep well tonight.
(smile)

"Sweets to give you sweet dreams... what a perfect end to the day! Time to say good night, dear."

(Yawn....)
Good night, dear.
(smile)

second time with secondhand laughs

Any good fisherman would tell you that you can't keep fishing in the same pond if you're trying to feed a multitude.
If all that is needed is a few fish, then that one pond will do.
However, catching a bunch of fish requires multiple ponds, if not a sea or ocean.
I would think a Christian-based group like this one would understand how that works.
Bill Cooper understands that.
He'd been trying for a year to entice me to come for one of the monthly shows.
Until last month, I simply had not been able to, as they are on the second Thursday of the month. I generally have far too many events to choose from on those nights, ranging from American Legion meetings to special lectures at the Jepson to concerts at the Lucas.
Then, like I said, I had the night open up on January 10th. The bfe and I dined at Carrabbas, then slid on over to Blessingdales (thrift store) for the night of comedy. A nice evening out with the physicist, doing something a little different!
Yes.
A little different, for sure.
It was certainly different from all of the other improv shows we'd seen.
This one began with a husband and wife musical revival.
So, that was different.
The music was good, with the man lending backup vocals and a rhythm line for the woman's melodic singing. However, I had not expected to hear church music tonight and neither had the bfe.
That definitely started the show on a different beat.
(Get it? Ah, maybe that inside joke was just between me and him.)
Secrest was familiar with Bill and his clean-cut, "I'm and old guy" routine. He had seen him perform at Foxy Loxy a time or two.
Secrest also was familiar with Odd Lot. Support of them was most of the reason we were both in the audience on that night.
So, in support of my friendship with Bill and the Odd Lotters, Jeff stayed.
He even jokingly played along when he was called to the stage for a question-and-answer game with the host, Jerry. (I think the game was about books. "Watership Down" was one of the answers I recall.)
Yes, I know he really loves me... but he won't be going there again.
(smile)
As for me, I did venture there once more, this time solo.
The host had mentioned there would be more games for this special Valentine's Day edition of the improvisational comedy show.
He was correct, too!
There were four sessions of the "Who Thee Wed" Game (get it?), with couples ranging in age from rather young and newly wed to married for many years and considerably older. Each couple had a different set of color-coded questions to answer, but they all won free treats at the concession stand.
(smile)
Bill Cooper was quite entertaining, as he had been before. So was Rabbi Robert Haas, as he always is. And the fellow named Garret was pretty good, too.
Still, it seemed like I had crashed a party among friends.
I think I was the only person who had come there alone...
and, on this day, that seemed like a wrong thing to have done.
No one except Bill and Mary Ann had even spoken to me.
My name had even been drawn for one of the games, along with those of two others. We all played "state capitals" with Bill Cooper and I really was friendly to them all. But no one spoke to me at intermission.
I could tell they all knew each other and most likely attended the same church.
That's probably the pond where they had heard of this improv show.
Some of them were even trying to raise money for their causes... but were fishing in the same pond that the church owned.
The comedy bits were pretty good...
and the price of admission was only a donation of goods to the thrift store...
and I certainly have plenty of clothes and housegoods that need a new home.
Maybe I'll give them one more chance...
maybe.