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Archives for August 2011

27, 28 and Home

08/27/11 – Saturday
Today’s activities started with the Car Show in downtown Lewiston.  There were a lot of neat cars there.  I love the old Mustangs.  Then it was off to the Thai place for a delightful lunch with Al, his wife & son.  All 3 are neat people.  Then we went up to Nez Perce National Historical Park museum.  It was small, but it was very interesting, with a lot of artifacts. Including a satin ribbon given to the Nez-Perce chief by Lewis & Clark. The bead work on the outfits is amazing.  We joined a talk in process, which turned out to be part of a wedding party.  The Elder of Nez-Perce’s granddaughter was marrying a nice Jewish boy.  It was an interesting talk and we didn’t know we were crashing the party until the bride & groom stood up and thank friends and family for joining them in their celebration.  Brooke & Edward (or Scott) asked everyone to introduce themselves.  Which was a little embarrassing.  We stopped at Wendt Pottery to get gifts, but when we first drove up, they were closed.  Mr. Wendt was still there and opened the shop just for us!  How sweet and I got EXACTLY want I wanted!

Next was home for dinner with Mom & Dad and then off to the Guess Who concert.  I got to meet Quinn’s wife Stacy and a couple other folks.  I got to meet so many people I keep forgetting who I met.  And then we went to a bar … don’t ask me the name … and exploding out the front door came MaryAnn Mattson.  The bouncer got a kick out of her. It was wonderful to meet her.  What a sweetie!

 

08/28/11 – Sunday.
Today was a trip up to Spokane to have lunch with Byron McLean.  Unfortunately we didn’t get to meet his Beloved Tina (she had to work).  The food was yummy.  My first Korean.  And I got to eat Kimchee!  It was good.  I like cabbage and I like spicy and kimchee is both.  Doug took me the long way home and we stopped at Steptoe Butte in Washington State.  It was a long day of driving around, but I got to see a ton of the country up there.  It’s a beautiful country.

 

08/29/11 – Monday.
Time to come home.  The flight into Lewiston only took a 1/2 hour.  Well, with crossing time zones it was.  But on the way back it was 2.5 hours.  I was lucky with my seat mate on the flight to Salt Lake City was a delightful gentleman named Anthony.  He was in town for a wedding.  You guessed it, it was Brooke & Scott’s wedding that we crashed on Saturday.  Doug & I were the talk of the wedding.  Which would have been very interesting, and we would have been invited to join.  It was 2 services; a traditional Nez-Perce service and then a traditional Jewish wedding.  Both outside in 105 degree weather.  I had a 2.5 hour lay over in Salt Lake City.  It gave me plenty of time to get something to eat and stretch and relax.  I’m now addicted to Starbucks Blueberry Strawberry Yogurt Parfaits.

The next flight was full.  And they were asking everyone to check all extra bags.  It was going to be one of those sit cramped flights.  When I got back to my row it was with 2 gentlemen and one was 6′ 6″.  But they moved him back up to the front where “shorty” could have more leg room.  I had the aisle seat and my seat mate had the window.  He was claustrophobic and preferred the aisle and I preferred the window.  So we switched and were both happy and waited for the middle seat person to show up.  We ended up being the only row that had only 2 people.  Thank you Jesus!!!  We were able to “stretch” out a bit and it made the flight SO much more enjoyable!  And when I got to Philly … the sexiest man in the world was there to take me home.

 

I had a delightful trip.  Mom & Doug Graham are just wonderful people who opened their home to me.  They were wonderful hosts and made me feel like one of the family.  Doug was a wonderful tour guide. I got to see a ton of the area.  I had a great time and am looking forward to my next trip out there.

Another Full Day!

08/26/11
Ok. I slept a bit longer than I planned. It was 10:30. We watched RED with Mom, Dad & Anthony. I love that movie.

Then Doug took me to the Strike and Spare for a GIGORNDO sandwich. It was really good. Al Halsey was able to stop by briefly. It was great to meet him. We are going to have lunch tomorrow. Thai! I always think of Karen (no longer) Rios.

Then it was off to Walmart to buy the few things I need for the trip home. A neck roll so I can nap, a puzzle book for when I am awake and of course, Excedrin. And JACK POT. I found the toiletries bag I was looking for and a magazine for the flight/lay over.

After Walmart we drove up to the Nez Perce reservation and Spaulding. We didn’t stop at the museum, that will be tomorrow if we can. On the way home we stopped at Train Park where Doug used to play as a kid.

After dinner with Mom & Dad we went to the Hideaway to meet Law & Mynx. The first thing I hear when I walk into the bar – from across the bar – was TACIE! It is so good to see Law & Mynx. I wish we lived closer to them. I got to meet Law’s niece Kelly. Which was a nice extra! There was a whole group of very nice people at the bar. After Law left Quinn Yates showed up. We left after about 2 hours. It didn’t seem that long!

I finally got my postcards, which I must send tomorrow.

Tomorrow is another full day.

Idaho – Day 2

08/26/11
After a very long 12 hour nap… we are up and getting ready to go.  Not sure what is on today’s adventure list – except lunch and WalMart – but it’s hot and getting hotter.

Party on Garth!

Long DAY

08/25/11
WOW. It has been a very long day!!! First – what an adorable airport! When I got off the plane, the fist person I saw wasn’t who I was expecting. It was Andrew (Geoff). Very Cool!!! One down! And then I saw dug with his annoying pudding sign. Two down!

What a sweet family! It’s almost like being at home. If home were 2000 miles west and in the mountains. :-). More tomorrow. I’m bushed.

10,000 feet up

08/25/11
Let the adventure begin.

Surprisingly we were on time for the airport. Which turned out to be a really good thing because my non-expired drivers license is in my other bag. By the time we had gotten it sorted, it was too late to check my bag. I think the lady at check in made an exception. So we’ll see if I have clothes when I get to Idaho. 🙂

The flight so far has been pretty bumpy. And as soon as I see the mighty Mississippi (are we to far north ?) it’s nap time.

Next stop Salt Lake City, Utah.

Count Down to Take Off

In 33 hours I will be leaving on a jet plane … to go meet a bunch of my Facebook friends!  I’m really looking forward to my trip, but will miss my Beloved David and my kitties.  But one can’t have an adventure from the couch.  Look out Lewiston! Here I come!

Shoes… Leverage… & Awesome Taste!

About 3 weeks ago I bought the most awesome pair of red high heels.  4.5″ with a .75″ platform.  The “Joan & David ‘Flipp’ Pump”.  Surprisingly they aren’t as uncomfortable as they sound.

Wrapped platform and heel elevate a timeless pump crafted from high-shine patent leather.

  • Approx. heel height: 4 1/2″ with 3/4″ platform.
  • Patent leather upper/patent leather and leather lining/buffed leather sole.
  • By Joan & David; imported.

I was just watching Leverage “The Cross My Heart Job” and don’tcha know Sophie Devereaux whipped a pair out of her bag!  How exciting is that? For me… pretty darned exciting!

Wrapped platform and heel elevate a timeless pump crafted from high-shine patent leather.

  • Approx. heel height: 4 1/2″ with 3/4″ platform.
  • Patent leather upper/patent leather and leather lining/buffed leather sole.
  • By Joan & David; imported.

Facebook Luncheon

On Friday 8/19/11 I got a most wonderful e-mail from my friend Bob Bendesky.  He has time to take a long lunch would I like to go get a Tacie? Let’s step back.  About 2 weeks ago, I went to my new favorite take out place Sarcone’s Deli.  They have excellent hoagies and the most excellent cheese steaks.  Justin & Kurt and the rest of the gang are FOCUSED on customer satisfaction too.  I had a hankering for a piece of pizza and they have what they call Flatbread pizza. It’s kinda like Stouffer’s French Bread Pizza only better – MUCH better.  I was in the mood for pizza and got my taste buds all hopped up for mozzarella, sharp provolone, red sauce & basil. And guess what – they made it for me!  And it turned out to be an awesome combo of flavors.  And low and behold the Guys at Sarcone’s made it their Flat of the Week and called it the Tacie.  (Ok…. I’m EXTREMELY flattered and vaguely embarrassed.)  And of course I had to promote the Flat! Not that I wasn’t already promoting Sarcone’s.  They put Mountain Dew in for me too!  How awesome is that?!?  You don’t have to answer that. It’s AWESOME!

I met Bob through Mare. I’ve known Maribeth since High School.  Mare suggested Bob & I become FB friend because “Bob is really interesting.”  It’s true. Bob & his wife Cozy are really very interesting.  They are Revolutionary War re-enactors (http://6pahome.com/).  Cozy is an artist/seamstress/wonder woman.  She makes the authentic clothes they wear for the 6th PA.  Very cool.  One of these days I’m going to have to get my butt to one of the re-enactments and get some smarts from the 6th.  The 1st time I met Bob we had dinner at … some sports bar in King of Prussia.  It was fun. He and I got there 1st and so we had a bit of time to chat before everyone else got there.  The next time we got together for a FB lunch … our 1 lunch took 6 hours. It was fun. Our next lunch only was 4 hours because we all had things to do.  =)   I’m sure there will be another of our “short” lunches after the summer is over.

So after bragging about my pizza on FB, Bob decided to join me for a piece of me.  Luckily Bob works in West Chester and could take a long lunch on Friday. So in to WC he came and because I sent him the wrong way out of the parking lot he discovered Carlino’s Italian Market.  It’s one of my favorite places to eat, but they didn’t name a pizza after me nor do they have Mountain Dew, so they are a bit further down the list.  But they do have a remarkable variety and really good food too.  Back down the street we went to get a Tacie.  Bob enjoyed it and we had a delightful lunch and talk about a lot of different things from Cancer research to cheese steaks to cruise and more.

I always enjoy talking to Bob and enjoyed lunch.  Now I am full of me and looking forward to our next meeting.  Next FB meal will be Monday with some co-workers and then Thursday I go winging off to Idaho to meet the Lewistonians!

When Yellow Were the Stars on Earth

When Yellow Were the Stars on Earth

My Beloved and I went to NYC to see When Yellow Were the Stars on Earth written and directed by Franco Moschetti. It was presented at the Times Square Arts Center (303 42nd St) by the Manhattan Repertory Theater.

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http://manhattanrep.com/page51/page51.html

About: Two women in WWII Nazi Germany, a German cabaret singer and Jewish resistance fighter, make the ultimate sacrifice for each other amidst the horrific brutalities of WWII Nazi Holocaust.

Staring: Gudren Buhler (Klara), Michele Farbman (Miriam), Johannes Schwaiger (Wolfgang),  Kazy Tauginas (Fritz), Franco Moschetti (Gunther), Sergey Nagorny (Joseph), Matt McAllister (Man 1), David Schwartz (Man 2), John Whitney (Nazi Solider 1), Igor Kaganskiy (Nazi Solider 2)

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It is the story of 2 women in Nazi Germany – 1 German, 1 Jewish – and how their lives intersect. It is incredibly intense drama that deals with the Jewish resistance. And for the life of me, I can’t remember the name of the show. I just have a mental block.  It took David & I a while to figure out what it meant. But then again, we didn’t have the advantage of seeing the poster. The Jew were made to wear yellow stars so the Nazi’s could identify them easily. Ahhhhh….. ok now I get it.

After reading the blurb about the show, I was pretty sure it wasn’t going to be something that I would like. I was right. But it was only because of the subject matter and my preference for light hearted plays. I’m not normally a drama fan. I like happy endings. As with the Holocaust – the ending wasn’t happy.

The theater is tiny. My living room is almost bigger. So if you don’t like tight spaces, you might be a little uncomfortable there. Also the seating are metal folding chairs, so if you need some padding for your bum, you will want to bring a cushion along. This place would be awesome for an audience participation event as the 1st row of seats is almost one with the stage.

The show runs about an hour and a half and there was no intermission.

Personal preference a side the show was very well done. The acting was very good. The characters were believable and well cast. And despite not liking the subject matter, I became immersed in the show.

The size of the theater made for an interesting challenge for the show. It switches frequently between locations in the town. Klara’s apartment, Nazi head quarters, the pub, etc. So each time the action moved to a different location the entire stage had to be reset. These changes really didn’t detract from the show however, as it gave you a moment to process the previous scene. As I said before, this is a very intense show and these little breaks were welcomed.

This show could also work on a larger stage where the stage could be split in two moving the action seamlessly from side to side.

I have a couple of nit-picky things to say. The stage hands should have all been in dark colors. One of the stage hands was wearing a light colored shirt (isn’t there a guideline: stage hands who are going to be seen on stage should wear black?) And at one point Klara, who is trying to avoid a phone call says she will unplug the phone from the wall. Nope. Not going to happen in 1940’s Germany. Phones were hard wired into walls until the late 1970’s. Either she cuts the phone line or takes the handset off the cradle. I said nit-picky.

I can’t say I enjoyed the show. It is a very intense and the subject matter is very uncomfortable. People who are very sensitive will not like this show. It is an uncomfortable look at the horror perpetrated on one group by another. It is a reminder to us all “we are all the same light in different bodies” and we should respect our fellow man.

A side from not liking the subject of the play, it was very well written and very well acted. Everyone else in my group liked it very much. I would love to see this group in another show – perhaps something with a happy ending.