Betty called early to ask if I could find her phone charger, which she had left when she stayed over. It was in the guest room and I suggested we meet for lunch--two days in a row! I had another $25 off coupon for the Dublinder Irish Pub in Galloway, so suggested we meet there. We did, both ordered salmon (on the dinner menu, actually) and had an enjoyable time.
I stopped next door at the D.'s to get some programs from the play that Desi had left with Frank. Barbara has had some problem with pain in her back, neck, and arm and has a doctor's appointment shortly.
Got a message from Neil G., who's directing The Odd Couple, scheduled for June, concerning publicity. I hastened to tell him I'm no longer publicity chair (WHEN will my name be removed from the theatre company's web site?) and told him frankly that my successor, A.J. seemed to have dropped the ball altogether. He'll have to deal with that and I sent him some of the contacts I had used.
Had a sudden yen for yogurt, so stopped at Acme in the late afternoon and picked up a few containers thereof.

Winding down from my brush with show biz, I met Betty, Helen C., and Suzanne M. for lunch at Italian Cuisine. Stopped at Santori's first for broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, Brussels sprouts, and feta. Reopened an account at BOA and arranged for transactions to come. Dropped Mrs. Bramson's wheelchair off at the clubhouse after Jack D. got it out of the trunk for me.
Went over to the school at 6:00 to pick up the few props I had left there. Jim, Bob, and Dave were busily striking the set--and boy, was it a beaut. Chatted for a bit with Desi and Tonya, then left. I still have my father's typewriter in the back seat; must decide where to put it, then try to get it there.
Aside from that and household chores, nothing much going on here.

Years ago, I read this in some silly magazine: There's nothing so over as Christmas. I can top that one, though: There's nothing so over as a play you're in.
Night Must Fall is over, but we went out in a blaze of glory. Yesterday's performance was great and we probably had the largest audience of the three. Not as many screw-ups--or what there were weren't major--and the lighting was better.
The crowd was enthusiastic and it was such fun to hear the applause.
I was so pleased to greeted by Marilyn M. and Clorinda, as well as Mary Ann Van O., and others. Many of my friends had gone on Friday and Saturday, too. Of course, the ones who meant the most to me were the northern dwellers, my niece and nephew, and sister Betty.
After, we stopped back at my house to leave things off, including Betty's and my cars, then repaired to The Legacy at SeaOaks, where we had a good dinner and great talk. Got home about 8:30 to see a phone message from Ellen. Called her back on Skype and she, Betty, and I had a nice visit.
We then sat up talking while I had my glass of wine, then turned in. Slept like a log and now--sob!--have to reconcile myself to no more Night.
But hey--other productions are coming up!

The show generally went well last night, but we were all chagrined by some snafus in lighting and other things. Also--a disappointment--the audience was sparser than on Friday. Hmm, why would that be? Possibly, because we had virtually no publicity, aside from a piece (sans picture) in The Tuckerton Beacon, with has a readership of roughly fourteen. Several months ago, Desi and I met with the person who was supposed to do publicity and I gave her detailed information, including contact e-mails and phone numbers for the papers and other outlets we used. Guess she just decided it was too much for her. However, I'm not going to agonize over it.
A number of my friends were there last night, including Ray and Barb, Pat G., Doug and Pat H., Bill and Lois V., and others.
Last performance this afternoon. The northern couple are coming, along with my niece and her husband, Joan and Jim, sister Betty, and Marilyn and Clorinda from my former life.
Then will come the letdown. After months of ever-increasing concentration on a play, to perform three times, then see it end is always a jolt. However, Tonya said we might be able to have the next one on two weekends and that would be terrific. Hope so.

Yesterday? That was a day that was a day. Early on, got a Skype call from P. and N. and, as ever, enjoyed that. Went early to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things, naturally taking my trusty tape recorder with me. (I'm told they're now old fashioned; not sure what people use nowadays, but probably something that can fit under your thumbnail. However, this suits me perfectly fine.)
After lunch, the phone rang and a man informed me he was calling from Atlantic city Electric. He said my service would be turned off that afternoon unless I took $299.99 to the main office on Arctic Avenue--before the end of the day and in cash. Incredibly enough, I took him seriously at first, the reason being that he said it had to do with my "alternative provider," which indeed, I had signed up for a few months ago AND with whom I had problems too long and involved to go into here. At one point, he even switched me over to his "processing department" and another man got on the line.
It finally dawned on me this couldn't possibly be authentic, so I asked for a phone number to call him back. He hemmed and hawed and kept talking, at which point I hung up and looked up the Electric Company number. Called them and of course, this was a scam. Called the A.C. police and a detective advised me to notify my local police. Went to the police department and talked to an officer. He said it wasn't a reportable incident, as I hadn't actually remitted money.
Got home to prepare for opening night. We had a 5:30 call and at about 5:00, the rain, thunder, and lightning started. Oh, boy, that'll bring people out of their houses, all right, I thought--not! Got to the school to be told Rose, our ticket taker, was sick and couldn't come and Dave S., who plays a detective, pressed his wife, Carol into service.
Kevin, who's really the star of the show, gave each of the cast members a nicely bagged gift. We were all charmed to see a shot glass with a metal plate and the inscription "Night Must Fall." Boy, that was an elegant gesture; I'll cherish mine.
We all thought we'd be playing to a dozen people, but were pleased to see the place fill up about three quarters of the way.
The play itself went over wonderfully well; we got lots of applause and a standing ovation at the end. What surprised all of us were the laughs. This is not a comedy, although the housekeeper, Mrs. Terence (Ellen V.), has some funny lines and here and there, and sarcasm is employed, which often drew laughs. Anyway, it came together and clearly, the audience has a fine time. Now we have to be very careful to sustain the level of performance of last night.
We had a joint cast and birthday party at Jim and Mary H.'s; it was Jim's sixtieth and that was great good fun. They have a large and beautifully appointed house in the country, to which I've been before. Good grief, I had white and red wine, Irish cream, and brandy--can't even remember what else--but ate the wonderful shrimp, salmon, cheeses, veggies and dip, tiny meatballs, topped off by birthday cake, cheesecake, and a few other desserts.
What great fun to laugh and talk and party with colleagues of the stage! I came to this interest late in life, but hope to continue for a long time to come. After several hours, the party finally broke up and I got home at the ungodly hour of two am! I went straight to bed, so must wash the sprayed-in grey out of my hair shortly. Woke up at 7:00, but try to fit a nap in today.

A helluva day. I'd been having a problem with my messages not being picked up and went out and bought a new phone (Panasonic) to the tone of a hundred bucks. It has four handsets, though. Asked the north Jerseyan to attach it, which she did, but it took a while. (Of course, you can no longer simply plug anything in, let alone call "the phone company" to do it for you). To our horror, the exact same thing happened with the new phone: it didn't record messages. My helper had to go back to work and I asked Joe M. next door is he could suggest anything. He came over and after this and that too boring to relate, we discovered Comcast was picking up my calls. I certainly never asked them to do so, but called them and the whole thing was straightened out. Northern person came back after work and took out the new phones and reattached the old, which now works fine. I'll take back the Panasonic and get my hundred bucks back.
Dress rehearsal last night wasn't up to our usual academy-award-level standard (ha!). For my part, there were two serious snafus: one, it took much too long to change into my costume for scene two and second, more serious, I got a cut on my hand from the damn "bead"* curtain covering what's supposed to be the entrance to the kitchen. I had to play my big final scene pressing bloody tissues to my hand. I think the costume change thing has been solved, as I'll change in the wings, instead of the short hall we laughingly call our dressing room.
Tonight's the night!
*This isn't really a bead curtain, but consists of something like bamboo pieces strung vertically. Sound pretty stupid? It is.

Decided to call sister Betty and ask if she could meet for lunch. I did, she could, and we met at Italian Cuisine. Had the usual nice sisterly time. After, did a few household chores, but mostly concentrated on studying lines.
Rehearsal had been called for 6:00 and as usual, I was early. Found Jim and Mary H. already there and Desi pulled up shortly. However, the door was locked and we had to wait a bit.
It went all right, but I thought Wednesday night was better. We wore our costumes and two of mine seemed okay; I'm not crazy about what I wear in scene two, though. However, Kevin gave me a valuable tip: Wear one set of clothes over the other. I can't do that with my tops (long-sleeved blouses), but put one skirt over the other and it worked fine. Ellen V. had brought aerosol cans of grey and white hair, which I'll use to look even more old-ladyish than I do naturally. (I'm not suggesting my usual hair is its natural color--I'm not ready for that yet.)
I'm walking today, but I'm going to tell Susan I'll take a pass until Monday. I don't get home until after 9:00--practically the middle of the night for me--and I unwind with popcorn and Chardonnay, so don't get in bed until much later than usual.
Full dress rehearsal coming up--then tomorrow, we open--aagh!

On impulse, called my bro, Frank, in California a bit before noon. Hadn't heard from him for a while and just wondered how were things on the left coast. He said he's had bronchitis, but was improving. He and Marybeth will be in Baltimore with son Patrick in April. If we can arrange it, hope to get together with them.
Got my costumes in order, putting together clothes, plus jewelery on the same hanger. To my surprise and chagrin, I realized I don't have two changes, but only one. Actually, this is better, as what I wore changed into for the second scene--a brown skirt and ugly mustard-colored blouse--is uncomfortable, ill-fitting, and hideous. Back they'll go to the thrift shop.
I had a problem changing into it, too, as there isn't much time between scenes. Kevin, who plays the sociopathic Danny, suggested I try putting one costume under the other. Can't do that with the tops, but yes, I think it will work well with my skirts. Will try it tonight.
Rehearsal went well--for most of us, anyway--and director Desi singled out Kevin and me for praise--what a lift. However, a player dropped some important lines that helped define her character and to which I am to respond. It even sets up a piece of business (a paper to be left on the mantelpiece) that's key to a later scene. I know she'll remember it for subsequent performance, but I hope something else doesn't fall off he radar.
Rehearsal at 6:00 again tonight.

Ran all those errands I had put off for so long. Stopped at the doctor's office because I'm out of a medication. Made an appointment for next week...
Next week! Next week he play will be over for good or ill. Boy, am I nervous. With the tape recorder, I rehearsed over and over. Tried on my costumes--I'll wear he one for the first scene and there are two others.
Got a call in the evening from my former next-door neighbor, Morris S. He asked if he could contact son Mike in London with some kind of business proposal. Uh oh, I know Mike wouldn't want to get this directly, so I told Morris to e-mail me and I'd forward it.
Rehearsal tonight at 6:00. At least, thank heavens, we'll be at the school from here on in.
WIDER: A thought-provoking (and horror-inducing) post by my friend, Rob Payne:
http://deadhorse1995.blogspot.com/

 

Chuggin' right along, I had a full day. Attended Musical Arts at the Clubhouse at 1:00 and enjoyed it. The opera was Wagners' Der Fliegende Hollander ("The Flying Dutchman")and was fun to watch. The music goes right over my head, but I like the sets, props, and costumes.
I had to leave before it was over, as I had rehearsal at 3:00. We went through the whole play, as we'll do from here on in. A few more changes were made, but minor ones. I actually got praise--and not faint, either--from the master, in this case, Desi. I followed his direction to ratchet up my bitchiness and he was happy with it.
No rehearsal today, as the school's closed and the Community Center was already taken. I'll use the day to run errands (I need some medication refilled) and see if my costumes need anything else.
Darn, the answering machine on my phone isn't working. It takes messages and seems to be recording them, but when I try them back, says "no messages." The damn phone is only nine years old and wouldn't you know, neither the Radio Shack store nor the web site seem to have any interest in fixing it.

It was only Desi, Tonya, Emma, and me at rehearsal yesterday and we went over just parts of scenes. Desi wants me to ratchet up my meanness, a directive that surprised me, as I thought I was already portraying a bitch on wheels (nasty old lady in wheel chair). However, will accommodate.
Desi remembered to bring the tickets and I got twelve of them for friends, split between Friday and Saturday. When I got home, I discovered he had accidentally given me an extra for Friday and left out one for Saturday. Will remedy that problem today.
Had called Marge to see if she felt up to having me come in to chat and she did. We had a nice time together, as ever. She's feeling a bit better and has even gained some weight, which for 90-pound her is good.
Ran various errands, then stopped at the V.'s to give them their tickets and was invited in for wine and nibbles. This is a couple who have traveled to more than sixty countries and taken at least that many cruises. Stayed about two hours and greatly enjoyed it. Talked to Betty later.
Rehearsal today at 3:00 at the Community Center. Think I'll go to opera first, which is at 1:00.

After walk, exercise, and breakfast, I went over lines, then drove to the cemetery. Hadn't been there for weeks as I no longer seem to have the need. Stopped at the sixty-nine cent store (I ain't goin' to no stinkin' dollar stores) and got napkins and a few other things. Went to Produce Junction for lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, peppers, and spaghetti squash, then to Canal's for Chardonnay.
Home, I cut up onions and peppers, stir-fried with chicken, and enjoyed the dish for dinner. Called Leslie and chatted. Called Ellen V. and talked about the play. She's got some "issues," as the odious cliche goes, and aired her gripes about Desi, Mary, and dialog. I packed up my nineteenth century sampler, as I said it cold be used to dress he set. It's in the original frame and very heavy; hope it doesn't get dropped. Other than the above, it was mostly going over lines.
Rehearsal today at 10:00 am.

Susan and I walked at 7:00 as usual, then I went home to boil eggs, make an egg sandwich for lunch, and otherwise prepare for our van tour. This time, it was "Ghost Towns of Atlantic County" and we were delighted o see that Garmin (first name), the naturalist and van driver who's our favorite was conducting the tour.
Saw a lot of interesting old ruins in Weymouth, Cape May, and other areas. Most of them were actually factories, but there were some deserted houses, too. For some reason, I was particularly interested in a town called "Belcoville," the name being an amalgamation of "BEthleham LOading COmpany." This was established as a company town just before WWI, and munitions were manufactured in the big plant built there. The plan is long gone, but the original post office and fire house are still there, the latter still in use. Many of the workers' houses are still there, too; they have distinctive "quarter windows" near the roof line.
Got home shortly before 4:00 and jumped in the shower, then had a bite to eat before I left for our 6:00 rehearsal. I did generally well, but suddenly lost my concentration in scene four and had to ask to be fed lines a time or two.
Not sure if we're having our usual Sunday rehearsal, but Desi called one for tomorrow at 10:00 am.
Heard from Marge, who said she left a message on the machine. I didn't get it, nor did I get one from Barb H. Darn, that's yet another thing I have to worry about. Well, I'll get new batteries for the phone; maybe that's the problem, although the rest of it works.

I picked up Susan and Barb (actually, since we live within a few yards of each other, they walked over to my driveway) and we went to SeaOaks. Very enjoyable; we all had half a sandwich, a cup of soup, and tea. SeaOaks makes its own stuff and of course, the food was so much better than at your run-of-the-mill chain. Chicken noodle soup is not my favorite, but this had big flat noodles, plenty of meat and vegetables, and a flavorful broth. They also make their own delicious potato chips and you could make a whole meal on them.
Aside from that nice excursion, I did a load of wash and of course, went over my lines a skillion times. Had a number of e-mail exchanges with Tonya, who plays my niece. We griped about some of our dissatisfaction with Desi's direction and the lack of a props person and discussed how to get vintage newspapers.
Signed up for the Leprechaun 5K Walk/Run on St. Patrick's Day; so did Susan.
WIDER: Here's a development that's enough to freeze your blood:
http://www.bipartisanpolicy.org/
And here's a bit of what Philip Giraldi over at AntiWar.com has to write about it:
"The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) is surely one of the more bizarre pro-Israel think tanks doing business in Washington. Its sage advice pops up here and there, most recently in The Wall Street Journal, where it advocated giving Israel tanker aircraft so its warplanes can fly to Iran, bomb the hell out of that country’s nuclear facilities, and make it safely back."
It's the bipartisanship that should scare the hell out of us. I don't want our benighted politicians to be nodding and smiling and shaking their blood-soaked hands. They're bad enough pretending that one side or the other stands for any principled ideals, but together--!

With my trusty tape recorder, went over and over m lines for scene one. Took it with me when I went to Manahawkin to pick up a few items. Yes, I rehearse while driving, so shoot me.
Rehearsal last night went a lot better--certainly for me and for the rest of the cast with one exception, I'd say. We did only scene one and I needed to ask to be fed a line only once. Considering how many times I've gone over them, even that was annoying.
Finally, at long last Susan and I are taking Barb H. to lunch to make up for our snafus concerning the last van tour. We're taking a tour tomorrow, in fact--"Ghost Towns of South Jersey"--should be fun.
WIDER: What's wrong wih America? Let me count the ways. Here's an essay on a significant factor in our downfall:
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/02/14-4

The gal from the north came over to replace three light bulbs. It's nice to have nine-foot ceilings, but for practical purposes, it's sometimes problematic. The fixtures are up too high for me to reach with the step stool and I don't think it's a good idea for me to use a ladder.
Studied my lines over and over. Last night's rehearsal--the entire play all the way through--was harrowing. I did fairly well--fairly well, not perfectly well--with remembering my lines, but there were lots of snafus and blocking problems. We don't usually meet on Wednesdays, but we are tonight. Desi said we'll concentrate on scene one tonight, then run through the whole thing again on Thursday.
Think I'd better skip the Wellsboro trip altogether; I need that Sunday rehearsal.
WIDER: If you ever think you get too much sleep and would prefer to lie awake all night staring into the darkness, go to Arthur Silber's blog. Today's includes information on the murderous entity called "Special Operations."
http://powerofnarrative.blogspot.com/

Desi had us rehearse the end of scene one last night. We've been concentrating on the later scenes, and boy, we all stumbled over our lines, although the third time was a bit better. Desi is now timing us--or rather, how long a scene takes. Last night was way over what it should have been, by seven or eight minutes. We were at the Community Center and it's always so much more difficult not being on stage, I'm getting nervous, bur hope and expect it will shape up.
I was planning to go to the far north (Pennsy) over nest weekend for the boys' tournament, but have now found it's on Sunday, so I'd miss rehearsal. I'm pretty sure I'd better not, darn it. We'll see.
Desi has called rehearsal for 6:30 tonight and thank heavens, it will be at the school.

Got back from up north about an hour ago. I had a lovely time. Got up there yesterday about 11:30 and we had lunch. The female half of the couple then took me to Freehold, where we walked around and stopped in a few shops. It was cold, cloudy, and rainy, though, so we stayed only an hour or so.
After, we went to Trader Joe's in Princeton. It's a place I always liked in California, and this is brand new and has all kinds of good stuff. Expensive, however, and it was so jammed packed, it was hard to move around. I'd like to go back on a weekday. I was surprised to see almost half the store sold alcohol of all kinds. I never heard of that in Jersey before, so must be something new. Anyway, I bought four bottles of wine--cheap, yeah--and a few other things.
Got back to my hosts' house, we freshened up, then they took me to dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant.
Wonderful food--I had fresh tuna, just the way I like it: seared on the outside and close to raw on the inside. It came with a wonderful sauce, lightly cooked asparagus, and delicate potatoes. We had brought one of the wines I got at Trader Joe's and we toasted my husband. He would have been 81.
Got home and watch Moneyball on X-Box or whatever it is. I hadn't seen Brad Pitt in anything for years and was surprised how much older he looks. Well, I guess he is older.
Slept over and this morning had Mike's incredibly scrumptious homemade bread. This was a dense loaf he made with rye and spelt flour, crushed walnuts, and honey. Never tasted a loaf that good.
My car was acting up, again; the heater wouldn't work. Without going into a long explanation--it went right out of my head, anyway--suffice it to say, darling Mike fixed it, consulted somebody at the auto supply store, adding coolant, and doing something or other else. He's a gem.
I was planning to go up to Wellsboro with the female half of the couple next weekend to see the boys' wrestling tournament, which we thought was on Saturday. Unfortunately, I was just informed via e-mail that it's on Sunday, meaning I'd miss rehearsal. I'll find out tonight if we're having it, as we probably are--we're opening in less than two weeks.
Anyway, it was a wonderful weekend.

Kevin came over at 10:00 and we went over scene four--the big one--several times. Even more enjoyable was getting to know him. What a terrific guy he is! He teaches dancing and I happened to mentioned a legendary name from my youth: Tony Grant and His Cavalcade of Stars. Good grief, Kevin works for him. Well, not Tony himself, who was probably in his thirties when I was ten, so is long gone, but for his son, who took over the dancing thing. I asked Kevin about his professional life and he recounted some of his his experiences in Cats and Beauty And The Beast. It was enthralling.
Rehearsal--for just Kevin, Tonya, and me--had been called for 8:00 at the school and, as is my usual, I went early, getting there about 7:30. I hadn't realized there was some kind of school gathering, so I sat in the back and watched.
They were having a kind of kiddie bingo and the huge room was filled with--well, I'd estimate ten thousand children, judging by the noise level. This is a third to sixth elementary school and boy, did I get a new appreciation of what daughter, Ellen, the third grade teacher goes through every day.
So-o-o, Desi, Tonya, and I first rehearsed in the music room, then when the thundering herd had departed, moved onto the stage. It went well and, in the fifth scene, Kevin gave a performance that made my hair stand on end.
This is my husband's birthday--sigh--and I'm going up north to spend the day and stay overnight.

Yesterday was all play, play, play--the play I'm in, that is. Rehearsed and rehearsed scene four, which is most difficult by far. Kevin--my pet, my baby face, my Danny*--called and asked if we could get together to rehearse on Saturday. However, that's Pat's birthday and I'm going north and to spend the day up there, so we settled on today. He'll be over at 10:00 and it'll be just the two of us.
Rehearsal last night was a mixed bag. Desi have called it for an hour early, six o'clock and in my usual always-early mode, I got there about 5:30. Ellen took head shots for the program--mine are abysmal, but I'm used to that--and we did scenes 3 and 4. They went fairly well and Desi's satisfied we're on track.
Two weeks to go!
* A quote from the play, of course.
NOTE: In his blog, "A Tiny Revolution," Jonathan Schwartz calls death "the giant mouth that eats everything." I'm entranced by that.

Spent most of the morning on financial stuff. Had to visit Ocean First, then be on the phone to three different entities. Too long and involved to go into, but it all happened because I had the wrong address on automatic bill pay for my home owners maintenance fee. It was my fault, but luckily, I was able to get the fees that would have been charged, a total of eighty bucks, reversed.
Picked Leslie up at 12:30 and drove over to The Dublinder, a (pseudo) Irish pub in Galloway. I had a $25 certificate and we didn't quite make that, so I ordered a dinner to go. Had a fine time solving the ills of the world--notably its wars--and enjoyed a glass of Harp, the Irish beer. Santori's is in the same strip mall, so we got some veggies after.
When I pulled into Leslie's driveway, she presented me with a present. I opened it to find a great kind of collage with pictures of Pat, decorated with scrapbook materials. I was so touched that she would do this for me.
Got a call from Betty in the evening, then relaxed with the usual. What wasn't usual was that I had trouble sleeping last night. Went to bed at my usual time, but woke up, I guess about 3:00 and dozed only fitfully thereafter.
Rehearsal tonight, and Ellen V., who's doing the program, is taking head shots. Hope mine doesn't come out too gruesome. We're doing scenes 3 and 4--pretty sure I'm ready.

I'm late with typing this deathless prose because Susan came to the door at 7:00. I had forgotten she was back from California yesterday. We took our usual walk and it was good to resume. (Yes, I admit I didn't keep up with the walking while she was away. I just gave myself a hiatus and so what?)
Took my car in to Mastercraft yesterday morning and drove out with a replaced "stabilizer bar end link" and poorer by $175. It occurred to me that they could tell me anything--"you need a new spatial moon dictator and a kiowldkpo lnllskio noko and that'll be six hundred bucks" and I'd never know to question.
Went to the Living Word thrift store and was delighted o be able to pick up two skirts and a blouse for the play. All I need now is some kind of sweater to wear over. The volunteers there were so nice in helping me pick things out. Gave them flyers on the play.
Otherwise, I did household chores and went over and over my lines for scene four, the one with which I'm least comfortable. Tonya, who plays my niece, said she met with Desi last night to learn that "I'm not playing the part correctly." I feel for her, but at least she gets feedback. Desi never comments on my acting, so I don't know if I'm a hopeless case or doing fine.

Tried on the costumes from Surflight and found I can use only the skirt; the others either don't fit or aren't appropriate after all. Went to two thrift stores and at least found a blouse. Put it together with the skirt and an over blouse-type thing, added some jewelry and it looks okay for the first scene. Now must find two more outfits.
Rehearsal last night was far from good. First of all, I got there early, as usual, to find the auditorium set up for a meeting and people already there. The cast, of course, didn't know it was being held and this was the third time we couldn't get on stage for rehearsals. We gathered in a music room--different from the one we were in before--and set up an arrangement of chairs o approximate the set--NOT satisfactory. To top it off, I had thought we were running through the whole play, which was on the original schedule Desi had sent out. Rehearsed and rehearsed (using my tape recorder method) and got there to find we were just doing scenes 3 and 4. Aagh! I had concentrated on the first two scenes, dammit. Stumbled over a lot of scene four; a lot of the others also kept having to call "Line?," also.
We agreed to meet early on Thursday and we all hope last night was the last time we're preempted.

A topsy-turvy day! My mouse seemed be acting funny, turning off now and then, so I thought I'd change the batteries. Problem was, I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to open the thing. Had to go to Manahawkin for some other errands, so decided to take it to Staples and ask for advice, which I did.
The fellas there were very nice, but the first one was new and couldn't get the cover off, either, so he called for a guy who seemed to be his department manager. Even he had a problem; He took out a screw, but that's wasn't it, then tried to contact the company--says "Gigaware" on the cover--with no luck. He took it in the back and, after a good fifteen minutes overall, finally got it open. We left the little "opening wedge" off until I got home when I changed the batteries. I'm not even sue that was the problem, or even if there was a problem, but it works fine now.
Before I left the store, I noticed they had Kleenex and Charmin' on sale and I picked up one of each, although I think the latter's commercials are odious. Paid in cash, refused a bag, and walked out.
Now when I go to a store where I think I won't use a cart, I always take my wallet out of my pocketbook and just carry that. Got back in the card, checked for my wallet and it wasn't there. Aagh! I have all my credit cards, debit card, driver's license, insurance cards in there. Rushed back in the store, they hadn't seen it, left my name and numbers, ran out on the point of tears, about just to drive home and try to deal with the disaster--and noticed three parking spaces away, a pink rectangle. Couldn't be my wallet, of course, but I went to look and it was. All was intact, but I'll never figure out how it got there. Can only think I must have dropped it, then unknowingly kicked it over there while I was putting the paper products in the passenger side.
Anyway, went to the dollar store to get reading glasses to use on stage, then home to prepare what I brought to the Super Bowl party.
Tried on the clothes I got from Surflight and found that only one skirt is appropriate and fits. Will have to eke out with thrift store stuff.
Party was fun, although I was the only one not rooting loudly for the Giants (or anybody else, for that matter), but so what? I was among friends--albeit all from north Jersey except Susan's husband, Walter, and he's Canadian--and the food was great.
The H.'s always have a good set-up for the evening: All the men sit in the family room with a large T.V. and all the women in the kitchen with another one. The rooms aren't separated by walls, but flow into each other, so you're "together" without being on top of each other. Halftime show with Madonna was bizarre, but I was gratified to see the nod to peace, instead of the militaristic tone of earlier Super Bowls. However, I saw only part of it and for all I know, they had a ritualistic hanging before resuming the game.
Called my darling daughter when I got home about 10:00 for our Sunday night visit and had a nice chat.
Rehearsal tonight and we're supposed to be completely off book--yoicks!

Tonya picked me up at 12:30 and we met Ellen at the Surflight costume place on Long Beach Island. Whew, what a place! Surflight has the whole block, including the theatre, plus this large building, which houses a restaurant (closed for the season) and the very large costume room. It's crammed from floor to ceiling with clothes of every description.
Only a few members of that troupe have a key and Tonya had arranged for us to meet a nice young woman named Jessica to let us in. We then spent almost three hours trying to pick out appropriate ones for Night.
I was taken aback to hear Tonya remark on how much neater and better-arranged the place was from the last time she was here. Good grief, you could barely make your way through the aisles over hangers, boxes, and stray pieces of clothing on the floor. The skirts were on racks literally at the ceiling and there were movable metal stairs, the kind you see in Home Depot, to get to them. Dresses were under them and blouses in another area, all jammed in so tight we had to use both hands to get them out.
I picked out some possibles--I have either two or three changes, can't remember which off-hand--and tried some of it on. Got two blouses, a skirt, and two dresses and will assemble them with accessories to see if they're okay. I may have to buy something else at the thrift store.
Got home about 4:00 to hear a message from Betty asking me how to cook turnips and talked to her later. She's gong to a Super Bowl party, as am I. I'm looking forward to the socializing, but not the game. I know it will celebrate militarism, consumerism, and anti-intellectualism.
Okay, call me pompous elitist for that last, but I believe we're sliding faster and faster into the worship of money, violence (look around the world), and a boorish disdain for the life of the mind. Seems to me that little illustrates this more clearly than The Big Game. Always reminds me of Orwell's:
"If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever."
I'll just try to ignore the game itself.

Just chatted with P. and N. via Skype, one of my favorite inventions.
Yesterday, which was, of course, Friday (most of the day, I thought it was Saturday), I stayed in during the morning to wait for the solar panel people, who came about 1:30. Went over and over my lines--I'm determined to be completely off book when we meet again on Monday.
Got a call from Leslie, three doors down the street, about 10 and we talked until 12:30! Talked especially about our daughters-in-law. Her late son's widow lives in Florida with the two girls and her lifestyle is disconcerting to Les. Anyway, it was a marathon session.
Went over to Acme while the panels were being installed and got the makings for the dish I'm bringing to the Super Bowl game tomorrow. These are appetizer meatballs, made with cranberry and chili sauces; they always go over big.
Was delighted to get a call from my "niece" (in the play), Tonya N., to the effect that we can go to Surflight's costume place today and pick out things to wear in Night. She'll pick me up at 12:30.
WIDER: There's a lovely new book out called American Sniper about a champion killer. If anyone should doubt what kind of blood-thirsty monsters we've become, just read excerpts from Amazon.com or The Huffington Post (a "liberal" site--yeah, sure) and the comments therein:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-kyle-usn-ret/american-sniper_b_1237669.html#s645850

I was pleased that the solar panels were delivered by 10 am, as promised. The guys asked to put them in the garage, which they did by fork lift. It was no problem; I just moved my car to the driveway.
As for said car--darn! When I went to the cemetery on Tuesday, I noticed a kind of hollow thud now and then. Decided I'd better drive over to Mastercraft--with which I have a love/hate relationship--and see about it. Greg (or Al*) drove it down the road, heard it, and said I'd have to bring it back to have Al (or Greg*) put it on the lift and look at it. Will take it in Tuesday.
Went into Manahawkin and picked up groceries, plus some little Valentine things and cards for the kids. Didn't do a lot in the afternoon except wash and going over my role.
Got a "just saying hello" call from the Northern Dweller and we made a date to meet next Saturday, the eleventh, which is Pat's birthday. He would have been 81.
Rehearsal last night. We did the first scene, then were pretty much all disconcerted to hear Desi say we'd do the second, too. Boy, was it a shambles. I'm getting damn nervous about memorizing my lines; it's some consolation, but not much, to realize so is everybody else. Desi talked to us sternly, like a strict schoolmaster, saying we had to be letter-perfect on Monday. We're skipping tomorrow, as Jeff will be gone all weekend and others, including yours truly, are going to Super Bowl parties.
Solar panels to be installed today and then the Electric Company can kiss my outlet!
*Every auto mechanic in the world is named "Greg" or "Al." It's a law.

Happily, the electrician and his crew came about 9:00 and had completed the work before noon. As with the rail installation, it was incredibly noisy--felt as if they were drilling and hammering inside my skull. While they were here, I finally disassembled the two large poster boards that had been put together for my birthday party.
After lunch, I drove over to the cemetery, where I hadn't been since my company was here in December. Nothing going on there. Stopped at Canal's to stock up my wine cellar (a twelve-bottle rack in the dining room) and at S & M--I always get a charge out of that name--for veggies. Heard from Betty and rehearsed more of my role.
Today, the panels will be delivered. Company wants to put them in the garage, so I'll have to leave my car in the driveway.
Rehearsal tonight for scene I again.

Susan left for California this morning and I slept until 7:20, for heaven's sake. Must be careful I don't turn into a slug-abed.
The "rails" for my solar panels are now on my roof. The workers were here most of yesterday, so I stayed in, as they had to access the attic from the garage. Gee, it was noisy; sounded as if the hammering and banging were in the house. I spent most of the day rehearsing for the first half of the first scene, which we did last night. It went well and, as it turns out, I'm not in the scene they'll go over tonight, so probably won't go. The electrician is coming today to do his thing. I asked if he could be here early so I don't again have to stick around all day and was told he'll be here about 9:00. Hope he doesn't take too long because I have some errands to run and besides, I'm not used to staying in so much.