race pics!

There I am, back left,
blue denim jacket,
long hair!

Moving in on the arch,
walkin' tall...

waiting for the crowd
to get out of my way...

until I'm fully visible!
Just look for Waldo!

Now I'm past the arch
and headed for Abercorn!

Oy, vey! Off I go, ahead of the stragglers, bundled up against the cold and heading out from the JEA toward Hull Park!
Woohoo!!!

oy vey, chirstmas magic!

What a brutally cold day, but I was out in it anyway!
I signed up about two months ago for the inaugural
"Oy Vey 5K" at the JEA -
I just love the way that rolls off the tongue! -
and I wasn't about to let the weather interfere.
Barbara had planned to come along...
but the cold temps scared her off.
Not so for a lot of other folks, even people with
kids, either running along or pushed in strollers.

The thing about this race that had compelled me
to enter - besides its name - was the start time.
The mid-afternoon hour of 3 PM was fine with me -
no ridiculous early morning shenanigans!
I liked that it was in a midtown location, too,
as that meant no parking fees.
(smile)
See the flag up by the arch?
That's because we first had the national anthem!

How very nice and quite different!
My thanks to Stefanie and her mom, Virginia,
for keeping pace with me as I walked - that helped move me along at about 22 minutes per mile.
Nope, not a speed record, but I'll take it!
Afterward, we all celebrated the final day of Hanukkah with food and festivities for the kids.
I had the company of Carol and Fred of Oregon, talking of Florida space travels and Winter the dolphin and turtles at Jekyll and yoga at the Catty Shack.
That last one came from them - I haven't done that yet. Nor will I be able to this time around, as I have other plans. But I'll be sure to let the physicist know about it!
After I left there, I swung by the church, to see if I could catch the last bit of the Christmas Party. Wonder of wonders, I hadn't missed it at all! It had not even started yet!

I put my jacket on a chair at the long middle table,
then went to check out the tree and sat down near
it on the stage.
Pete, from the choir, sat on the stage beside me
and next thing I knew we were talking about genetics and Sicily and port towns - nice!
He invited me to join the choir, too, since I know all of the songs in the GOB shows -
he'd seen me in the front row, singing along!

When I returned to my chair, I was surrounded by family - not mine, but Kay Defley's!
I found out that Ruthie's husband and Barbara Beam were siblings - how 'bout that?
Then four men from 13th Colony sang for their suppers and we all clapped!
By the way, "Winter Wonderland" has a prelude -
I didn't know that.
But I knew "My Wild Irish Rose" by heart and sang along.

Then it was time for party food, with four hams and lots of holiday favorites for all!
Afterward, we were treated to a magic show!
That's 'Ordinary' Gary up there, holding a not-quite-right American flag obtained when he'd combined three solid-color kerchiefs in a cloth bag. Very funny!
And see the guy in the cowboy hat, on the left?
His name is Lenox and he approached me three times!

The first time was when I was talking to Pete.
Lenox sat near me on stage, but said naught.
Then, when I went for some fruitcake cookies,
he came in and told me he liked my hair.
(smile)
I was so flustered that I replied, "Thanks!
I've been growing it for years!"
Believe it or not, he still talked to me a third time, having quite a conversation and exchanging names, along with his buddy Daniel.
Maybe there's something there...
what do you think, Miss Virginia?
(smile)

crackin' nuts all day

Okay, I credit Carolyn for inspiring this song that I created.
A week or so ago, she had texted me about my working so many of "The Nutcracker" shows.
Well, this little lyric sprang from that well!
It's to be sung using the music from an old folk song from the 1890's, "I've Been Working On The Railroad".

***** ***** *****

I've been working at the Lucas
all the livelong day.
Cracking nuts is what I did there
'cause it passes time away.
Listening to Tchaikovsky's music -
boy, it's held up grand!
Watching all the tiny dancers
and giving them a great big hand!

***** ***** *****

Pretty nifty, ain't it?
(smile!)
i thank You, God, for the jukebox in my mind!

a charlie brown ornament!

And I made it all by myself, too!
(smile!)
Yes, I was at my fourth annual outing
to the Savannah Children's Theatre
for "A Charlie Brown Christmas".
Such an uplifting way to get into the holiday
frame of mind!
(Get it? "Frame", right? A little joke!)

Of course I was there on time for the hot cocoa
and for making crafts!
Last year, I made a little tree, just like the one
Charlie Brown chose for their play.
Well, perhaps mine was a little sturdier.
(smile)
I even remembered to come thirty minutes early,
for the Christmas carols by the cast!

I wasn't alone, either!
Yvonne had met me for a 3-hour holiday lunch on
Monday and she'd brought a newcomer, Brooke.
(That's Yvonne, who I went to Armstrong with,
in the middle, beside me.)
Yvonne had known I would get the new gal started
with activities - and I did tonight!
She even had hot cocoa and made a snowflake!
This was the first time there for Brooke and she's
planning to come again with her teen daughter.
Glad to be of help, ma'am!
Glad for your company there tonight, too, so I wasn't the only kidless 'grown-up' singing along in the audience.
(smile!)

christmas party with roast beast!

Actually, it was prime rib,
as seen on the lower plate.
Bright, fresh, veggies adorned
the upper plate.
And the cocktail glass holds
a generous portion of shrimp
and grits, with an emphasis
on the shrimp.
(smile)

Where was I on this winter's eve?
Well, that's me, almost exactly in the center,
wearing the fuzzy red sweater...
Why was I there at the DeSoto?
The woman on the podium had invited me!
This was the Gala with the President,
an event to drum up support for GaSoU.

Of course, you do realize I was not there to
actually pose as an Eagle, right?
Not hardly, as I am still an Armstrong Pirate
in my head and in my heart.
I was there for the free food, thanks, as were
these other ladies at my table!

I had deliberately chosen this table for its
proximity to the musician, Jason Salzer.
I'm sure this talented, Johnny-Depp-like,
young man was hired to play some holiday music,
but he consented to play some of my favorites,
as well as a few of his own tunes.
He certainly made my night!
(smile)

My thanks to the hostesses for hiring him!
This trio of women were half the ones I knew.
That's Cheryl, on the left, Becky on the right,
and the cheerful young woman in the middle is
the one at the front desk of the Alumni office
at Burnett Hall on the Armstrong campus.
Thanks, y'all!

never alone again

I so enjoy watching "Monk" and today I did for the first time in... well, years.
Comcast recently restored some of the television channels to my basic subscription and one of those has this show... but only on Thursdays.
Last week, I forgot about the addition.
Today, I remembered!
And the very first show today, at 11 AM, was "Mr. Monk and Sharona".
Hooray!
I always loved the years with her! Partly because of her spunky nature, but also because her name reminds me of one of my favorite songs by The Knack and the little dance routine I had for it, back in 1979 in Panama.
[Of course I just had to watch the video and try to recreate those moves I had. Lots of fun trying, but I was 21 years old when this song popped up and I just can't quite get down to the floor these days. Still, I sure did enjoy the dance, guys!]
(smile!)
So, with my coffee and my breakfast of sushi, I also enjoyed the antics of Adrian Monk with caretaker # 1 (Sharona) and caretaker # 2 (Natalie). Of course there was conflict of the two styles of caretaking by the very different women - and that was fun to watch as they sorted it out and appreciated each other's work with him. Of course there was conflict concerning the reason for Sharona's visit to San Francisco to settle her uncle's estate, as it turned out he'd been murdered, not just taken a bad fall. And of course it all was resolved at the end of the hour and Sharona still ended up with a windfall to pay her son's college tuition.
(smile!)
So, of course I watched the next episode, too... as if I wouldn't have anyway.
Seriously.
It was called "Mr. Monk and the Dog".
Hey, it is still the Year of The Dog!
(smile)
Here's the set-up. An artist had gone missing after a call to 911 and foul play was suspected. That meant homicide had been called to the scene and Adrian was there at the woman's apartment. Animal control came to pick up her dog, to take her to the 'kill' shelter, but forces intervened - i.e., Natalie and Lt. Stubing - and Monk took the animal to his home... and hilarity ensued!
Monk determined that the dog was quite smart and he grew fond of her over the ten days or so that he had her. When the artist's body was found, he had reassured the dog that she would never be alone again, but it was easy to see that he was thinking of him and Trudy.
The dog was a lovely, furry beast named Shelby. She reminded me of the sheepdog (Shaggatha) I'd brought home from middle school as a girl. And, much like my found dog had done, Shelby was having puppies by the episode's end.
Hahahaha hahaha!
Yes, indeed! The artist and the married man weren't the only ones engaging in coitus on their trysts! And since the pups favored their tailless Australian shepherd sire, then the killer was easily determined.
Case solved!
But, what to do with the dog and her four little ones?
Monk couldn't bear the thought of breaking up that new little family. Fortunately, a woman he knew came forward to adopt all of them. He would even be able to visit them - every day, at 2 PM - at their new three-acre home.
And just before they are to part, he reassured Shelby that she will be never alone again...
although he would be returning to his solitary lifestyle...
and I totally understood.
Sigh.

Now, I'm going to paint my fingernails and have some lunch.
Well, maybe not in that order.
(smile)

sharing an inside joke

The psychologist likes to just administer half-hugs on occasion.
Budget cuts, he claims.
(smile)
So, when I saw this nativity scene on fb, I knew to share it with kevin.
(Yes, that's a budget cut for his name! Hahahaha!)
In case the picture isn't clear, here's the setup.
There are no characters other than those named on Coca-Cola cans.
A cardboard box contains three soda cans. The two erect cans have the names 'Jose' and 'Maria', with the prone one between them bearing the name 'Jesus'.
A package of Camel cigarettes represents the Magi and stable animals.
Atop the box stands a fourth can, with the name 'Angel'.
Adorable, itsn't it?
(smile)
I've had over thirty likes/loves since I posted it.
(smile)

Now, I have a persimmon to eat!
I haven't had these fruits since the Peace guy - my dear Rogue, Joe - lived with me.
Of course I shared the photo with him!
I'm not sure the fruit is quite ripe, as it isn't as soft as he says it should be.
No worries!
I bought two, so if the other needs to sit a while, that's fine.
Do I seem a bit jazzed up?
I think I may seem a bit jazzed up!
That's because I went to see that latest Disney Princess film again, this time in BigD!
Woohoo!
You should have felt my seat rocking from the race sounds!
Okay, color me persimmony!
(smile)

holiday party on a tuesday!

See this lovely, shiny gift?
That's what I brought to the Southern Women Ornament Swap at Skidaway Island!
Who was hosting this party?
No one I knew!
This event was one of the alumni activities for the combined campuses.
I was there for the party because I'd been invited by Cheryl and Becca of the alumni office at 'Armstrong'.

My best friend Sam once told her daughter to try to always go when someone invited her somewhere.
I try to follow that advice myself.
After all, I want to make sure I get a future invite!
Plus, who doesn't love a holiday party?
And what a beautiful blue and white tree!
My glittery red gift really stands out under it!
(smile)

That must have been why it was one of the first gifts opened in our game of Swap!
There were twenty-seven of us playing - 27!!!
That's easily double the number when NK! had a White Elephant Gift Swap and about three times as many at a CST Pirate Swap!
My gift was grabbed by the fifth player, the blonde woman in the burgundy sweater.
(smile)

She really liked the ornament: a crystal-like tree with
a silver star atop it!
She didn't get to keep it, though, as the ninth player, the brunette in the red sweater, 'stole' it from her!
She wasn't the only one that had been caught stealing!
Poor Cheryl, the woman in the red dress, had been the 'victim' of theft twice before she got this ornament...
not that she had it long!
The next person 'stole' that and Cheryl had to go to the tree a fourth time!

(smile)
That ornament was hers to keep at last!
I was player number 12 and I didn't have any problems with theft of this white polka-dotted red bag or the Santa gift bag inside it or the yellow GATA school bus inside that.
That's because there were at least three of those ornaments that had been revealed!

And remember that I had said I knew no one?
At evening's end, Angela Harn and Amy Green and I tried to figure out how we knew each other... and it was through my ex!
They had worked with him at Cumulus.
Small world, isn't it?
He and I had an extended conversation about that, and them, and reminiscing after I returned home.
Oh, and here's another interesting coincidence.
The woman who had provided the gift I'd selected was: Angela.
My grabbing that particular item under the tree is probably what made her take a second look at me, a second look that reminded her that she knew me from somewhere, from some time in her past... from a time in our past eleven years ago.
Here's the truly interesting part about all of that.
I had selected that bag under the tree with my eyes closed.
With my eyes closed.
Right place, right time?
I guess I must have been, although I admit to some shock at the colliding of my new world with our old world at this party at this time of year.
Seeing them had prompted me to send the photo to Jeff and to talk to him about it and i think that was beneficial for both of us.
Now, I'm going to a "Clambake" with a 31-year-old Elvis Presley singing songs just for me, via the magic of television On Demand.
i thank You, God!

not my Elvis, not an ETA, for the charm!

For the third time this year, I've seen a movie with an Elvis-like star, but none like this!
He was a robot!
Well, he was an android, to be correct, designed with wavy hair and sideburns and even the right body type.
And his shoes had wheelies, to zip-zip-zip him along!
(smile)
I almost begged off from going to the Royal of Pooler to see "Robo 2.0".
I woke tired, not even going to church.
I didn't go to the Savannah Children's Theatre, either, for their Christmas show.
I did get my little tree decorated, though, and that made me feel better...
so much so that I didn't back out from this trip with Barbara and Carolyn.
i thank You, God!
This bit of old-school science fiction was just what I needed to break the slump!
Here's the premise: a social misfit takes offense at the world when a new cell phone tower in his neighborhood causes the death of a flock of sparrows. He hangs himself in that tower, with his spiritual energy returning to wreak havoc, taking the form of a giant metal bird formed from all of the local cell phones.
That causes the revival of Chitti, an android designed to battle evil. This time, though, he's revved up and even more modernized, complete with flashy duds and punk hairdo - but still obviously an homage to Elvis Presley.
Oh, yeah!
Chitti 2.0 gathers helpers - in his image, but smaller... hilarious!
The movie itself wasn't Bollywood, but it did surprise us with a fabulous dance number before the credits rolled. And guess what? It was a romantic bit between Chitti 2.0 and the female android!
Delightful!
(smile!)
My thanks to Barbara and Carolyn for this adventure from ennui.
i thank You, God, for them in my life.