vampires and the physicist!

A movie and slunch with the physicist was had today!

Quite a treat to have his company again so soon!

We last met up just two weeks ago, and that was a movie and luncheon, too.

This time, the film was one that was on his wish list: "Nosferatu", the new version, with Willem Dafoe and Nicholas Hoult.

It wasn't anything I might have seen on my own, but it was quite well played and was very true to the feel and story of the 1922 vampire classic.

He very much liked it, which was good, since the last one he chose was so poorly done.

As we were watching the credits, he asked me who the guy was who played 'Thomas Hutton".

"That was Nicholas Hoult," I said.

Nope, that name rang no bells.

So I rattled off a list of movies: my absolute favorite of his, "Warm Bodies"; the fun live action fable of "Jack the Giant Killer" in 2013; him as one of my favorite authors of my youth in "Tolkien"; him as a balls to the wall War Boy for "Mad Max Thunder Road"; with my other Nicolas in "Renfield", ripping off a bad guy's arms to beat him with them.

Nope, none of those rang a bell for the J-Dawg.

So he looked him up, using his communication device, and realized how he knew Hoult's face: it was from "The Great", a TV series on Hulu.

This more serious role gave him a real appreciation for Hoult - good!

After, he wanted french fries and I had a gift card from Tony and Laura to Texas Roadhouse, so there we went!

And guess what?

We both ordered fish and chips!

Well, kinda sorta.

(smile!)

He had fried catfish and steak fries; I had grilled salmon with baked sweet potato.

Like I said, fish and chips!

Maybe that can be our little inside joke.

(smile!)

As we have done so many times, we sat and talked about a myriad of things for about two hours, with Maya checking on us every so often to see if we needed anything.

Nope, we were just fine!

Throughout our bread course, our salads, and our dinners, we talked and talked.

I have enjoyed that with him for so many years!

Looking forward to more of that next year!

(smile!)

2 indians and 1 bard

"Maybe you should sing it?" 

Sure, I can try that! Let's use the music from "12 Days Of Christmas", shall we?

"Fine by me. You're the busy, vibrant, woman, after all."

You got that straight! Okay, here we go...

On the first two days of this week my true love gave to me

two A*List movies in Hindi

and a playwright on a high school stage!

"Hahahaha! That was glorious!"

Thanks! That was actually fairly decent, for off the cuff. Fun to do, too.

"I know it was! Now, talk to me about the piece at the school first!"

I'd love to! Remember the kid at AMC, Henry Dickerson, who also ran lights at Tybee Post? Well, he'd told me that his school, Savannah Country Day, was doing a Shakespeare performance in the fall. So, tonight was the night! Like the play last week, this group of thespians are also destined for the state one-act competition. The difference is, this troupe chose a comedy! "Shakespeare In Love" is getting two runs, tonight and tomorrow. And guess what? Silly me had forgotten to tell Elvis so he could remind me! I would have missed it had I not been cleaning up the November photo album on my computer! That would have been very sad, because I totally enjoyed myself tonight!!!

"Very cool! Looks like you even had a front row seat. I know you like those!"

Not front, but second, with no one in front of me. Yes, 'twas grand!!! That photo was taken as the cast of 22 were taking their bows after their "David Poole" - James Venhaus - called them all forth. They'll have to tighten up on their time, as this ran about 5 minutes too long for the competition rules, but they can certainly do that. Remember the 1998 movie version of this story? That was just over 2 hours in length. This 2014 play was written based on that movie, but was performed in 50 minutes. No idle moments here! The time just flew by!!!

"Wow!!! And you say they'll go at it again tonight? You could see it twice!"

I could, but I will not be doing that. I have the cardiac ablation Thursday at 1 PM, so I am taking things slower, with only the WNS on my schedule tomorrow.

"Oh, yes, I forgot about that date with Dr. Cobb. That's very important, and it's very important that you be chill for Thursday morning. Okay, how about that AMC A*List? You have some Bollywood or Tollywood as your dances?"

Lol! No Tollywood, as those are in Tamil, not Hindi. Actually, neither of these had the huge musical numbers of a Bollywood, though they did have some good party scenes and one had several romantic interludes. "Singham Again" was action, comedy, and romance, with a bit of the Indian myth of Lord Ram and Mother Sita woven in for texture. The best part was seeing so many actors that I already know and love: 55-year-old Ajay Devgn and 44-yo Kareena Kapoor Khan as Bajirao Singham and his wife, Avni, with the myth being mirrored in their romance; 34-yo Tiger Schroff and his father, 67-yo Jackie Schroff, as a keen fan and a mortal enemy, respectively, of Police Commissioner Singham; 39-yo Arjun Kapoor (real-life cousin of Kareena) as the evil enemy's son, determined to destroy all things Singham; 57-yo Akshay Kumar and 39-yo Ranveer Singh, Singham's best buddies; and 38-yo Deepika Padukone, one of the fiercest officers and known as 'Lady Singham' by all... but real-life wife of Ranveer Singh. Pretty cool that so much is all in the family, right?

"Oh, my!!! So many familiar faces in that group!"

Right? My favorite was Ranveer, though. For this role, he sported a thin, twirly-end, mustache and was absolutely enchanting! His role was definitely played as the the comic relief, to break the tension of the non-stop, kick-butt, action. Very, very cool! Just as a side note, guess when his birthday is?

"The 6th of July, just like your middle little brother's..."

The 6th of July, just like Ronnie's! I really like that little tidbit! (smile!)

"Yes, very nice. And what about the second Indian movie?"

Believe it or not, it was a ghost story!!! "Bhool Bhuliyaa 3" was most definitely timed for a Halloween release. Like the two preceding movies in this series, the story revolved around a malevolent spirit, Manjulika, who was haunting the palace and keeping out the royal family. Enter 34-yo Kartik Aaryan as 'Rooh Baba', passing himself off as a ghostbuster, kinda sorta. He gets busted as a fraud and tricked into going to the palace to handle their ghost problem so the royals can move out of the cattle shed and back home. Very funny movie!!! Much more romance in this one, too, with six musical numbers, too! My favorite has to be "Hukkush Phukkush", with its 'hocus pocus' pun in its title and lyrics. Nice inside joke, y'all!

"What a rare treat for AMC to have those two movies! And for you to be able to use your A*List reservations to watch for free!!!"

Right? Carolyn had been quite surprised at that. She was with me for that double header on Monday, with us popping out to Olive Garden for dinner in between them.

"So, what shall you see for the third movie?"

Actually, it's the first movie that's missing: "Here".

"What was its title?"

"Here", the new one with Tom Hanks and Robin Wright and a crazy amount of technical help. They get to age from teens that end up pregnant to senior citizens with age-related issues. Still, they are not the focus of the movie. The piece of land the house sits on is the core. The couple and their progeny, as well as the residents before and after them, just serve to mark the passage of time, as does the music. I got to hear "Monster Mash" and even "A Brand New Key" as the movie progressed, reminding me of very recent fun times! That may have been my favorite parts of the movie. Oh, plus the whole bit with the invention of the "Relaxy Boy" recliner was delightful!!!

"Wasn't there something about your great-great-great-whatever-grand uncle?"

You mean Benjamin Franklin? Why, yes, there were a couple of mentions of him. Apparently, his bastard son, William, owned the land for a while, and we have several scenes with him kvetching about the father. 

"That's odd."

Well, the whole movie was odd, bouncing around disjointedly in time, just as "We Live In Time" had done. I endured it better this time, though, partly because of the great soundtrack, partly due to the historical elements thrown in. Would I watch it again? Not if I have to pay for it. Maybe someone will string together those bits with the La-Z-Boy inventor. I would definitely watch that part!

"Well, why isn't it listed in your trio?"

I have no idea. AMC has become a bit haphazard with their bookkeeping. That's okay. I know which movies, and when, and that's really all that matters. (smile!)

is neverland the same as heaven?

As per J.M. Barrie in his 1904 play and 1911 book about Peter and Wendy, Neverland is a place of no pain and no heartache, where there is no need to grow up, where pirates can be battled as if it were all a game.

In other words, Neverland was the ideal dream for boys.

Today, for our fourth and final installment of the GOB sermon series at Asbury Memorial Church, "Finding Neverland", a modern musical, was chosen.

 

It's authors have imagined how J.M. Barrie came to write his play, and Ryan McCurdy - perfect as both 'Peter Pan' or the playwright - flew in from New York City for the role.

I know, I know... that sounds like the setup for an inside joke, doesn't it?

Perhaps it was.

Coincidence that our airport has direct flights to that town?

Coincidence that I arrived late and had to sit in the narthex?

Coincidence that I not only had a clear view of the stage, but that the actors had a clear view of me and my reactions?

Coincidence that 'Peter' was modeled after the Barrie brother who had died?

Hmm... 

perhaps it was an inside joke meant from Ronnie to me.

All I know for sure is that I cried at the end.

Most definitely right place, right time.

i thank You, God.

byop in north jacksonville!

Bwah hah hah haha!

For those in the know, that's an inside joke... 

but I'll let you in on it.

"North Jacksonville" used to be Savannah-speak for the suburb of Georgetown, as that bedroom community was so far outside our city limits.

Nice, right?

This was nice, too, done up by The Koz with his usual suspects, including a couple of new clowns and a sand snake from one of the moons of Saturn.

It's up on the roof by the Jolly Green Giant, I mean, Frankenstein's monster!

Speaking of the ringleader of that merry band of ghouls, here he is: The Koz!!!

The time was just a little over two hours since my arrival, which was about an hour into pumpkin-carving time.

Why was he pointing toward the house and holding a remote bomb igniter???

The pumpkins had been judged and it was time to explode the one marked "most in need of improvement"... plus three others.

We were all calling "DAWN!!! DAWN!!!", waiting for her to emerge so the pumpkins could be like Napoleon.

You know: blown apart!!! Bwah ha ha!

Here she is, with The Koz, about thirty minutes earlier.

Their faithful Heinz-57 dog, Stella, was there, too, as the hostess and host of this massive party gave their opening address to the adoring crowd.

Whoop whoop whoop!!!

They think this might be the 14th year of their shindig, but they aren't for sure.

However, they were both very certain that this was all in memory of The Koz' mom, who died at 63 years old, just as my mom had.

Kudos to great mothers!

Then the pumpkin judging commenced.

Scariest pumpkin! Most innovative pumpkin! Pumpkin most in need of improvement!

The Koz and Dawn just announced the winners, but the under-12-year-old crowd were the ones who had done the selections!

I liked that one on the top row, in the middle, the best... and so had the throng of children!

I liked Dawn's Sweets Table, too.

The decor inside of the house was all her doing, with creepy ghouls on every surface and even cruising around on the floor!

But it was the dining room where her talents shown brightest, filled to overflow with tasty treats in scary packaging.

The centerpiece was another work designed by Michanne, with ooey gooey worms all over it... hiding delectable cake within!

Good thing the meats I'd eaten earlier had time to settle in and make room!

Yes, that's meats plural, all from Kenny's grill!!!

Ribs, sausage, hotdogs, shrimp with low country boil - a massive feast!!!

I'd taken refuge on the front porch, so I could eat in the company of the ghouls from AA and AAA time.

The Koz came looking for me, and when I told him I was "chillin' in the cacophony", he got it and gave me a quick hug before heading off.

Oh, yeah, he's most def a good egg!

Lookin' forward to next year's monster ball, y'all!!!

spreading sunshine for cloudy days...

The first yellow mini-bush was planted for Mama.

Mind, those were "permanent" flowers, so no water or care will be needed.

That's an inside joke she and I have shared for several decades.

(smile!)

Why am I so far back from the Barry plot?

I've been picking up red and white flowers that were shredded by the mowers at Greenwich.

Yep, called out for trash detail!

Next up was Jean Marie's place.

Concerned about what the mowing machine might have wrought there, I was pleased to find her name plate intact.

I guess the tall purple irises are catching the eyes of the yard crew there!

Someone had been there and cleaned off the dragonfly paver, being sure to place the broken edges together.

I appreciate that!

The yellow spray lent a bit of sunshine there at ground level, didn't it?

Then it was time to take to flowers over to Ronnie's.

It was low tide there at Bull River, so I saw more 'beach' than usual.

I noticed the yard crew had cut back the bushes, so his pier was much easier to espy.

I thought about placing the yellow mini-bush in amongst the rocks, but opted for near the bushes.

Yes, that will serve to brighten the area, but not distract the fishermen that visit.

Get my drift?

(That pun is for him!)

I have more flowers for them for the upcoming months.

Michael's had them on sale, so I had carefully selected several different types and colors, to have a bit of variety.

Why had that store been my choice?

The craft store sent me a $5 loyalty reward, plus I scored another $5 in exchange for points on AARP.

Altogether, after the discounts and gift card, the fifteen sprays cost me $5.54, including tax.

Right place, right time.

first live musical for the 4 little blondes!

First, my many thanks to the Hive Repertory Theatre, in Rincon, for this golden opportunity.

Everyone knows how much I love musicals, and to have this chance to share that love with my four little blonde great-nieces was absolutely magical for me!

Here's what they did that made it possible for all of us to go: they gave a free hour-long preview of the Tony-nominated show, "The Wind In The Willows"!!!

The musical is based on the book published in 1908 by an English banker, Kenneth Grahame.

He was 49 years old and he chose to retire after the publication of "The Wind In The Willows".

That book was comprised of stories he told his son.

Isn't that a nice touch?

I have to wonder if he and his boy spent afternoons walking in the woods together, discovering there all that nature had to offer.

Then, the Fox and River Rat and Mole and Otter living in that area just naturally became characters that the child could envision, right?

And the Toad, that silly speed-happy chap who loved motor cars, would serve as the cautionary tale of the consequences of bad decisions.

Perfect for middle-school aged tweens!

I'll go again for the entire musical in two weeks.

I'll hope for company when I see it then, but I'll certainly understand if that's not to be.

Single parents have to watch their money, and the $45 cost for a family of 3 can find other uses.

My many thanks to Michael and Christina for making sure they reserved their free seats for this performance when I sent them the link!

My many thanks to them, too, for making the trip from Hinesville - southeast of Savannah - to Rincon, northeast of this seaport.

I'm glad their mom, my outlaw Melinda, set up a cookout for Michael's birthday at her place in Guyton, while they were in the area.

That worked out beautifully for them... and for me!

I missed the ribs, but I benefited from the company of these six that I love!

Plus, get this: the musical was at 7 on the 7th.

Nice inside joke with the Universe!

Right place, right time, for us all.

(smile!)

the lemon cake is much better

That's the response I'd posted to Lynita Spivey's fb query earlier.

She'd asked folks to talk her out of buying a Pepperidge Farm chocolate cake and eating the whole thing.

Then, tonight, I was with Carolyn at Carey the H on Waters and guess what they have on the menu now?

"Soft Lemon Cake"

Now, Lynita and I have an inside joke.

I shared the tale with Carolyn, so she and I now have that same joke.

Very nice.

Right place, right time.

dessert 1st, please

I finished mowing the front yard and helped myself to a lime OutShine popsicle.

That's my usual treat for that chore.

The time was 24 minutes 'til 8 PM.

So, that meant I was also essentially having my dessert before my dinner.

The Peace Guy would be so pleased that I am continuing our little inside joke.

(smile!)

Honestly, every time I eat dessert before my meal, I think of him, up there in Atlanta.

I really should give my Rogue a call and see about making a visit up there to him and Princeton.

I wonder what flights are costing these days?

Not this weekend, though.

Tony and Laura are having a big Margaritaville party again this year and I've been invited!

Hence, the need to get out my Ryobi these last few days to tame the yards.

When I say 'tame', that's exactly what I mean, too.

I am so tired of mowing all that grass!

As I told the physicist in our textversation, this task is cutting into my social life.

That's because I can't go out to mow until the shade covers the yard and the weather has cooled to something bearable.

That means no earlier than 7 PM, +/- a half hour.

Well, guess what?

That's when most social events get started!

What's a girl to do???

I'll tell you what I've done.

I have cut that grass to within an inch of its life, in both the front and back yards.

Seriously.

With any luck, the dry spell we're having for the next seven days will curtail new growth.

I'm planning to not drag out the Ryobi again until at least the 9th of September!

Hooray!

Two weeks vacation from grass maintenance!

 

I had intended to have the final mowing yesterday, but then it rained.

So, to perk myself up, I stopped in at Jason's Deli for a treat: dinner for a few days.

I bought a Salad Bar and a Kid's Chicken Penne Alfredo... then I packed out treats from the salad bar while they prepared the pasta.

The Broccoli Salad, with the pasta, was slunch when I got home.

The Red Pepper Hummus, with four pieces of garlic Toast and three mini-cornbread muffins, served me well as dinner last night.

Two of the boiled eggs went into a tortilla, with Mrs. Dash's Lemon Pepper and a packet of Mayo, for an Instant Egg Salad sandwich for breakfast today.

I plan to do the same tomorrow with the other two boiled eggs.

 

For dinner tonight, I cut up the red onion rings, the red pepper slices, and the zucchini strips and sauteed them with some of the Spicy Giardinera.

That all got mixed together with a can of tuna and some jasmine rice, and I have enough for a repeat tomorrow.

Plus, I still have cauliflower florets topped with Corn and Black Bean Salad for Wednesday!

Four dinners, two breakfasts, and a slunch: all for less than $17.

Thanks, Jason's Deli!

All I added was the tuna (85 cents), two tortillas (50 cent each), and the rice packet (1.29).

The mayo was free.

(smile!)

Can I stretch a budget or what?

And it's so nice to have things already mixed and ready to go.

I'll have to do this again when I'm tired of cooking.

Now, time for a little mindless TV - "Name That Tune" - and a little mindful TV - "The 1% Club" - with both on the one channel.

I'll only need the remote for the political 'mercials.

Speaking of that subject, Reverend Billy actually preached about the Blond Man on Sunday.

He sure did!

His very first sermon back from his summer off in New York City with his first grandchild, and it's a humdinger.

Wow.

Oops, time to go!

she still has a drinking problem - lol!

One never knows what the source of a giggle may be.

 

I was at Advance Auto Parts to get a couple of quarts for my Saturn.

The young man at the counter seemed to get a kick out of my bare-armed self in there with the two containers of oil.

I guess I was not quite the same ilk as the little old lady who came in after me, dressed as though she'd just come from church.

(smile!)

The young man was the only one manning the store, as the other clerk was outside helping a customer install something they'd purchased, perhaps a tail light or such.

(I've had them do that for me, too. That's one of the best things about this store: they help put the device in for you, at no charge.)

There were two guys in there before me, but one was needing to have an item looked up, and the other needed to see if they had a replacement for the old part he held.

Mine would be a quick in and out sale, and the two guys waved me ahead.

So, up I went, punching in my phone number on the keypad.

The clerk was evidently surprised that I was in their loyalty club!

(smile!)

Grinning at me, he said, "Thank you, Miss Smith. Is there anything else you need?"

Smiling right back at him, I said, "No, this is all for now, but I'll be back. She has a bit of a drinking problem."

That really made him smile - I was making a joke!

I continued, "She's had that since before she was 18. She's 23 now and still does."

Then, with a big smile, I grabbed my purchase and sauntered out the door.

(smile!)

I should have added that she still lives at home and doesn't have a job - hahahaha!!!

Plus, she just passed another odometer milestone - 236,000!!! - so I was treating her to the good stuff, the fully synthetic for high mileage lasses like herself.

 

But she'll have to wait for it to breathe a bit and get to the right temperature.

 

I'd hate to give her a drink that was too cold and might stop her heart.

 

Hahahaha!

Nice to be able to share our inside joke with others!

(smile!)

friday that felt like a monday

Hopefully, this will be the final out-of-sequence day, right?

I think the primary reason this felt like a Monday was because yesterday was such a Sunday.

The appointment at the Savannah VA Center - just a blood draw and urine sample for next week's visit with my PCP - did nothing to dissuade me of that notion.

Well, bah, I say!

This is Friday, and I was determined to make it "feel" that way!

So, right after the needle stick, I bounced next door to the AMC and started off my A*List with a matinee, as I usually do on Friday.

Success!

Seeing Alexis there helped to make that verification of week day.

What movie, you ask?

"Despicable Me 4"!!!

What a hilarious movie!!!

I wasn't the only one laughing out loud, I tell you!

Then I went to run some errands, as I usually do on Fridays.

I succeeded in purchasing a ticket for a musical tomorrow night, but not for the kid movie at the Lucas on Sunday.

No worries!

And at 5 PM... off to Jalapenos of Sandfly for the S&K Friday Fiesta!!!

It even tells you in the name which day of the week it is!

Hooray!

And Smitty had ribs for me!

Hooray!

Then I again attacked the back yard with my trusty Ryobi.

 

It's barely been two weeks, but the grass is crazy already!

I had noticed that sad situation yesterday when I'd trimmed the scrub oak around the bird bath and pulled sticker vines off the back of the house.

Next month, I'm supposed to find out if I'm getting a lower house insurance rate, and I wanted to make sure their drone saw walls clean of vegetation.

 

They don't seem to care about the lawn, but I took care of it anyway, mowing until the battery was exhausted.

Whew.

Me, too.

But it does look better... right?

YDR!

(That's an inside joke with the ex!) 

Now to sit in the cool of the house and watch more of "The Closer".

I found out last weekend that Peacock had the TV series with Kyra Sedgewick.

Odd, I don't remember how grisly some of these episodes were...

but I like the interactions between her and the men in the office.

I'm so glad to have these, now that political 'mercials are on air again.

What a relief to have choices!

(smile!)

got deep?

Yes, I did, thanks, both literally and figuratively, at back to back events this afternoon!

I have looked forward to "A Sunday Soiree" ever since I first spotted it on fb several weeks ago.

Hey, how could I resist when such a fancy word was luring me in?

(smile!)

Plus, this was an offering from DEEP Center, now celebrating its 15th year, and it was time to see what the new generation was writing about.

I have tried to always be there to support their fundraisers and I have always - I mean, ALWAYS - been amazed by the students' works.

Today, there were seventeen young writers who stood up and read, or recited, their writings to the crowd gathered at Victory North.

Nine of those were middle school youths who are part of The Young Author Project, which presented them a challenging approach to creative writing.

What brilliant imaginations they have!

Kudos to Christina Campbell for her award as Middle School Laureate!

I sat next to her glowing grandmother.

(smile!)

The eight high school students were part of that program, too, as well as Block By Block - which combines writing skills with recording histories of the students' communities, streets, and families - and also The SLAM Team.

That last represents the hiphop version of beat poets and consisted of three amazing young women: Eyonn Mitchell, Kay Mitchell, and Bashia McNutt.

Bashia is there in the photo, performing "Wishful Thinking", accompanied by the Savannah Music Festival Jazz Academy.

Absolutely amazing how poised and talented she is!

No wonder they created a new award for her: Block By Block Senior Legacy Award.

Absolutely amazing!

(smile!)

The soiree ended a little early... could I make it to the east end of Victory Drive in time?

Unlike the White Rabbit, I was not late!!!

That's a little inside joke for those familiar with the Lewis Carroll classic, if not with this musical, "Alice In Wonderland, JR.".

This story is about an imaginative girl who fancies herself being a princess or a professor or a... what?

It isn't until she falls deep into a rabbit hole - a situation I am well acquainted with - that she has time to ponder her true identity.

But just which would that be?

The Alice that fell into the hole?

The Alice that grew too tall from a potion?

The Alice that shrank so small after eating a cookie?

Or are all three appropriate for the time and space that they inhabit in that world?

Ah... deep thoughts.

(smile!)

vbs, day 5: revenge of Angel 2!

I have been looking forward to tonight for two days.

I like to read the script the day of the show to get into character, but on Tuesday, when I returned home, I read the scripts for Day 4 and Day 5, just to get ahead a little.

That's when I realized that I would be Angel 2 again for this last day of Bible Story Telling!

Technically, I was just 'Angel', as I was flying solo...

get that little heavenly pun?...

but I was the very same character I played on Day 1.

Ah, revenge!

Revenge on the Story Teller for saying we angels had no message to share!

Revenge on the Story Teller for making us continuously walk up and down stairs!

Revenge on the Story Teller for Wanda!!!

Oops, scratch that, wrong story, I had Michael Palin in my head.

My apologies.

There's no fish - angel or otherwise - in today's tale.

If there had been any fish in a story, it would have been for yesterday's tale.

(smile!)

Now, where was I?

Oh, yes - revenge on the Day 1 Story Teller!

Fortunately, that role tonight was again played by Gail, as it had been then.

So, here it is, the start of the story tonight, and I'm first at bat.

(Yes, wrong sport, but you get my drift... which could also fit yesterday's lake trip.)

She reads my entrance...

I speak my message to Philip, giving him travel directions:"At noon, take the desert road from Jerusalem to Gaza."

Then I turn to the Story Teller, aiming my next three lines at her.

"See there? Just like that. A messenger is supposed to have lines!"

Then I'm supposed to exit the stage, but logistics didn't allow that, so I stepped out of the way of the other characters.

Hahahaha!

I intended to dress just as I had for Day 1, using the same robe, the same boa "halo", the same pair of wings attached the same way, in the hope that it would jog the memory of the at least some of the older kids so they would be in on the joke.

I think a couple of them got it, maybe.

If I had worn my glasses, that might have helped them recognize my character from Day 1, but I didn't bring them.

After all, I only had the four lines at the top of the play, so I wouldn't be reading the script.

Ah, well... at least we all had fun with it!

That assessment would include the rest of the cast, too.

Philip was played by Danny B, of course.

Barbara G and Jan were two horses pulling a chariot on which an Ethiopian rode, returning to his home country.

But, wait, who is that guy???

Why, it's Hai!

He was a little stiff around me at first, but loosened up by the second round of our little play.

That was good.

(smile!)

By the third round of our play, we were all playing a bit fast and loose with our lines, having some fun for our final time on stage.

After the last of the 'campers' at Camp Firelight had exited, we all started the task of dismantling the boards where we had trod, transforming the 'desert road to Gaza' back into an empty room on the second floor of the office spaces of Asbury Memorial Church.

I lined up all the shirts I had worn, as well as the one for tomorrow.

 

Day 1 - red - the kickstarter reward for the SeeSAW Muralcle on Habersham

 

Day 2 - orange - the memento of the 12th Annual Gray's Reef Ocean Film Festival

 

Day 3 - yellow - the Savannah Bananas shirt from when they still played baseball

 

Day 4 - green - the Savannah Sand Gnats SAL Champion shirt of 2014

 

Day 5 - blue - the kickstarter reward for getting Oskar and Klaus' second book onto ISS

 

Day 6 - purple - one of my favorites from my 25 years of teaching

 

I'll wear that last one tomorrow as I watch the 'campers' sing and dance.

I'm really looking forward to that!

What a fitting end to this stint as a volunteer!

(smile!)

thanks for the birthday flowers, mary and pat

Wonder why these particular flowers 

are around the mailbox?

The deer don't like them.

I suggested the reason might be 

the peppery taste of 

the chrysanthemum petals.

 

Right inside the back gate

were these delicate-looking

lace hydrangeas.

I think Grandma 

would have enjoyed

their pastel 

French blue centers.

And here are the ones

that I look forward to

every year:

the oak leaf hydrangeas.

I'm not even sure

if it's the flowers 

or those giant leaves

that attract me more.

Together,

they are quite

the lush couple!

Believe it or not,

this flower was more than

seven inches wide

and two inches deep.

It's called - and rightly so -

a dinner plate dahlia.

This particular one is

5 days old.

These are also dahlias,

just not on such

a grand scale.

The largest had a diameter

of nearly 4 inches.

The reason for this photo?

They struck me as 

misplaced stars,  

still trying to maintain 

the relationship they'd had 

in the night constellation

of their origin.

Here's St. Francis of Assisi,

communing with

the lilies of the field.

Follow the line of sight...

and there he is,

not minding the fact

that these lilies are so diverse

in color, and petal shape,

and height.

All are to be loved.

I took this for Bill, the artist,

now living large

in California.

 

This photo was taken

for Mama.

She had daylilies 

circling every tree

in the front yard

of the home of my youth.

My birthday is always

a day with her.

 

Then there's this shot!

This lily speaks of the

inside joke between

me and my first niece,

from the time she 

"fringed the porch light" 

on for me.

I miss having her

only seven houses away.

 

What next?

I could show the photo

of the gloriosa lily that 

I snapped this trip -

as always -

but I'd rather show off

this leopard-spotted variety.

It was facing the ground,

so I had to get creative

in my stance

to catch this shot.

What an exotic flower

to close this session

in the Prokop garden!

 

Not that I was done

with flowers

just yet.

I made a beeline -

get the pun? -

for Kayak Kafe midtown

after I left Coffee Bluff.

The pita and hummus

wanted to sing me

a happy birthday!

Ah, so good,

down to the last note -

I mean, bite.

(smile!)

wildcat challengers, really?

Time to check out a dance card or two, isn't it?

You betcha!

Of course, I refer to my AMC A*List, which was actually full for a change.

The only one that I had company at was that first one, "Wildcat", with Barbara by my side for that particular take on (Mary) Flannery O'Connor.

We had missed the screening at the Trustees Theatre, complete with Q&A by its writer and director, Ethan Hawke, as it sold out within days of being announced.

No worries!

AMC to our emotional rescue (sans Hawke)!

I liked being privy to her thoughts and frame of mind as she wrote her short stories, watching her fanciful characters come to life on the silver screen before us, as they must have on the backdrop of her imagination - very nice!

The middle movie is a secret.

I'm seeing it again next Tuesday, with family, but I was supposed to wait, but I just couldn't anymore, as I've been waiting to see "IF" ever since the first previews hit the cinema.

Plus, it has Ryan Reynolds, who will also be appearing in a new Deadpool flick soon... but not quite soon enough, as it will also have Hugh Jackman roaring in with Wolverine!!!

Plus, I caught the Drew Barrymore chat with John Krasinski (the writer, director, and producer, as well as "Dad" in the movie) and knew I needed to see it NOW.

So... I've done so, but I'll talk more about it after I see it again, next Tina Tuesday.

Seriously!

I have to wait!

And what's with "Challengers" popping back up on my dance card?

You're right, you're bloody well right, as Supertramp would say, and no, I'm not talking about the character played by Zendaya in the tennis movie, though she certainly was one.

Pun most def intended.

(smile!)

The reason I deigned to see it for a second time was this: I really like watching friendships between men, and I wanted to see this one again.

Two guys who'd met in boarding school when 12 years old, playing doubles tennis and being unbeatable, taking the juniors championship when 18.

That's when they met her, both of them wanting to be with her, with one in it for the lust and the other worshiping her skill.

She told them the winner of the next game, which pitted the two against each other instead of as a team, could be with her.

The lustful one won out.

The worshipful one asked that the luster not tell him if he had bedded her, but the luster just had to brag.

So, as an inside joke, he told his friend that he would serve like him if he had, taking a moment to place the tennis ball on the racket just as the friend would do.

So, if he served in his own usual manner, that would mean he had not slept with the girl.

And he served like his friend, so now they had a secret the girl didn't know.

Flash forward 13 years.

They're all 31 now and the worshiper is married to the girl, and ready to retire from tennis.

She is not ready for him to do that and says she will leave him if he loses this game.

And who is the man he is up against?

His lustful friend that he has lost track of long ago... but she has not.

She meets with him, to make a deal about the game, sealing the deal as she has before.

And when the two men are on the court, facing off against each other, as she watches from the stands, the lustful one remembers the inside joke he'd once shared with his best friend, wondering if the other will remember it, too.

Fabulous ending!

What about the previous week's A*List?

Well, "Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes" has already been discussed enough.

And, if not for having Jamie Fox and Mickey Rourke, as God and the Devil, respectively, I don't think I would have bothered with this Tyler Perry parody.

However, May 14th was Tina Tuesday and that means movie day, so I planned a double.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, nope, that didn't happen.

The luncheon for two Pirates - looking way beyond 40 - ran an hour longer than I'd expected.

Not wanting to be out into the night, I canned all thoughts of the double header and took the next available movie.

That was "Not Another Church Movie", with a lead character named "Taylor Pherry", who had to keep telling folks the "p" is silent... so, unbeknownst to them, that was an inside joke for me, and all the encouragement I needed to stay.

Good thing I'd seen "The Kentucky Fried Movie" after my last dinner with the bfe - that blast from the '70's certainly put that movie into the right frame!

(smile!)