FRIDAY AND A BUNCH OF OTHER STUFF

Disaster on the weight front: I gained 2.2 lbs at home, up to 131.6 and 2.4 at T.O.P.S., up to a ghastly 132.6. I was only mildly placated when it turned out the other four attendees had also gained. Anyway, I'd better start doing better or--or what? Sooner or later, I'll be back  up to 204 pounds. Anyway, Sharon had on a starry top and starry earrings--the latter she made herself: 

 She gave leader Lennie a pretty ring for her middle finger, which Sharon had also made herself: 

Home, I was pleased to have been sent a phone number for Jim Downes' sister, with whom I graduated. I'll call her today. I was stunned to read on my friend, Pat R.'s blog, the following about an RC church with a gay priest: https://thecatholicherald.com/new-york-parish-holds-pride-mass-on-trinity-sunday/ I sent it to Vickie and she was pleased. I'd love to know more about this priest. this parish, and especially, the reaction of the official church. 

Ellen and Greg came a little after 1:00 and we went to lunch at Steven's Greek. Greg is very selective about food and besides Steven's, Lure Fish House in town is the only other place he trusts with food. Wild caught fish is the only kind he'll eat and he has other specifications. Next time, we'll go to Lure. 

After lunch, we went directly to Barnes & Noble, where we sat and read and read for about an hour. I still have a gift card, but didn't yet buy anything. I looked into a lot of interesting books and was amazed to find this:  

I emailed Vickie to alert her to it and she was very appreciative. Hey, maybe times, they are (finally) a'changin'!

El and Greg came back to my place and while El and I sat on the patio and talked and talked, Greg make notes from the book he had bought. El had gotten a text from Paula, my ex-daughter-in-law, inviting us to L.A. where she and other member of her family will scatter their parents' ashes. Sounds interesting and happily, Violet will probably be there, too.

In the middle of his morning bike ride, Mike facetimed us about 5:00 and his Mum and big sister enjoyed it. We talked over Thanksgiving plans and so on. Here's Mike when he called from thousands of miles away, of course--it's amazing how we now just take that for granted: 

Rehearsal at 9:30 this morning and Amber isn't picking me up today, so I'll have to bus there unless I can think of an alternative. 

THURSDAY

Finally got my alendronate script straightened out, plus several other mundane "business" chores. Went over to CVS to get my three month's worth of the alendronate. Stopped at Von's on the way home for blueberries, broccoli, and other essentials. Made and packed my lunch, took it out to the middle, and enjoyed it there. Somehow, I've gotten in that habit and I like it. Ran into Suzanne coming back from the pool and we chatted. I told her that one of these days, I'll go in myself--hmm, when that happens, the world might stop turning. Also saw Kathy coming back after depositing her trash and we talked. I gave her my card and hope to get to know her better.

I got a text from Jeanne (Dollard) Painter and we communicated back and forth. John is still on hospice, but at 96, is holding his own. She showed me a video of the two of them with a guitarist playing "Oh, Johnny, oh, Johnny, how you can love...." John  and she were sitting on the bed holding hands and tears came to my eyes. They are so lucky to have each other.

I went into my file and pulled out a number of scripts I had written and used for my acting classes. Some had been presented by the Little Egg Theatre Company, also. I'll ask Erica if she  might need more material for our upcoming show which will open on August 15. 

I did some clean-up on the patio and straightened up inside a bit, but generally had a pretty lazy day. I'll go to T.O.P.S. this morning, then El and Greg will pick me up and we'll got the Steven's Greek for lunch--I'm looking forward to that, of course.   

WIDER: The blood runs cold: 

https://scheerpost.com/2025/07/04/exclusive-mahmoud-khalil-palestinian-activist-jailed-by-ice-for-104-days-in-first-live-interview

WEDNESDAY

I got a fair number of "business" matters and other chores done, all too boring to specify. Took my lunch out to the middle to eat, then showered and dressed. 

I found another little rhyme I had written some years ago, called Why Do You Have To Be Young? I decided to work up a little piece around it, bring it to rehearsal to see if Erica wants to include it in the show. It's okay with me yes or no. 

Got a phone call from Lisa G., with whom I had appeared almost two years ago. She hadn't heard about the new show for some reason and asked if she could still audition. I suggested she contact director Erica to see and she may or may not. Here are Lisa, Amy, and me two years ago in After All This Time: 

Amber picked me up and off we went to "rehearsal." The quote marks denote that it wasn't exactly a rehearsal, because the show hasn't been written yet. What we do when we gather is go over what went before, then discuss, suggest, and semi-finalize the show. Amber, Shannon, and the two directors are the ones actually putting words on paper (rather, on screen), with the rest of us coming up with ideas. As we do, there are comments and discussion, then Erica adds to her list. The next day, she emails to all what was decided, although all are subject to revision. I brought in another (but short) verse entitled "Why Do Have To Be Young?" which I recited for Erica, but I don't know if she thought it would fit. Here's Erica last night: 

One of the items we went over was the title for the show. After a fair amount of discussion, we settled--subject to change--on "Snappy Players Present Backstage Bedlam, A Low Attention Span Variety Show." That may or may not be changed. As for "Snappy Players," isn't this the "Fractured Actors" ensemble? Yes, but that's Jeff and Shannon's baby and this is an off-shoot. Considering their recent divorce, I don't know how F.A. will shape up--or even survive.

We broke up a half-hour early, but the writers stayed for another half and Amber is one of them, so I stayed, too. It was interesting to sit in as she, Shannon, Erica, and Brian hashed over ideas; Shannon acting out some of her ideas. Didn't get home until twenty of ten, then stayed up with T.V. and snacks for another hour--horrors, I'm getting to be a dirty stay-out! 

TUESDAY

Had breakfast. fussed around with this and that, packed lunch and set off for Wal-Mart, where I got tuna packets, crackers, and vinegar; Trader Joe's (grapefruit); and Green Thumb (a clipper). I wanted to get a tomato cage at the latter, too, but theirs were all too large; I was told they were out of smaller ones, but should get more next week. Lunched at the little park near Ralph's and bused home. 

Ellen called to ask if I wanted to go to lunch at Steven's Greek with Greg and her on Friday. Oh, no, no,  that would be a bore--ha!  Well, sure, naturally, so they'll pick me up. 

Suzanne, Vickie, and I agreed by text we'd go to La Cabana restaurant in Santa Paula on Saturday to celebrate Vickie's birthday. Suzanne suggested we beat the crowd by leaving at 4:00 pm, very early, but I'll adjust and adapt. I have rehearsal, but it's in the morning, so that's okay. 

Somebody from the office called to respond to my question about contacting a carpet-cleaning company--mine are badly in need. It seems they no longer use a particular outfit, but she gave me a name and number for another. 

Took a nap (I'm adjusting my sleep schedule, so I can stay up later), then went out to get the mail. Ran into Vickie and we fell into conversation. An acquaintance of hers, Kathy, came along with her tiny dog, Na-noo, and joined us. In her working life, she had been a property manager, and I liked her a lot. Later, I invited Vickie in and we sat down and had a long, open-hearted talk about religion, sexual orientation, and other topics in which mutual trust and the absence of judgement is essential. She stayed until 9:00, which was fine by me. I was able to stay up until 10:30 and slept soundly until 7:00.   

☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺

From Monday night, the original photo by Shannon, who sacrificed half her head:

 And here I was, the shrimp in the second row. BTW, on my right is Jonathan, who's from Morristown, NJ, and new to the group: 

☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺

MONDAY

Took lunch outside, which was okay, but a little too windy. Home, I prepared with oil and seasonings, a pound of big, beautiful mushrooms and popped them in the oven. Had a few, then dressed for our first gathering of the new show. Darn, the Access Van picked me up at 4:30, an hour and a half early for the 6:00 pm call, when it takes only about twenty minutes to get there. Luckily, he also picked up, then dropped off, two others, one in a wheelchair, so I got there about 5:20. I was dismayed to learn from Gus, the driver, that the free ticket program for the Access Van was going to end for lack of funding. Oh, well, it's still well-worth it to pay the four dollars a ride when I need it. 

Since we got there early, the door was locked and Kiara was the only one there, sitting in her car. I hadn't know her before, but we introduced ourselves and sat in her car to wait. Brian got there shortly and we went in. Before too long, others arrived in the cast and crew, about thirty, I guess. Aside from directors Erica and Brian, I knew only a few, including Amy, Mandy, Meredith, Becky, and Amber. Anyway, the meeting started when we discussed topics related to the show. The major theme is a "show within a show"--i.e., backstage shenanigans. Erica set herself up on the stage with laptop and typed in ideas and suggestions as we voiced them, which were projected on a screen. She asked for our thoughts about a title and there were lots of good ones. I suggested "A Night To Forget," and "The Show Must Go On--But Why?"  She also asked us to relate some snafus from our on-stage pasts and to suggest some comic situations. That was a lot of fun. Here's Erica, recording our comments:

I had asked around if it was convenient for anybody for chauffer me back and forth, so I didn't have to wait for the Access Van; Amber and Amy volunteered and Amber did so. We broke up a little early--8:40 and subsequent meetings will be on Mondays each week, plus alternating Wednesdays and Thursdays, plus Saturday mornings from 9:30 to noon.  

Got home at 9:00 and, of course, had to watch my hour of TV, but then went to bed and slept soundly until 6:00. I've got lots of chores to catch up on today (as ever!), including walking to Green Thumb to get a cage for my tomato plant.  

Note: Niece Carolyn sent me an Instagram reel of a woman who's kind of a collector of unusual obituaries. One she cited was a litany of grievances against a man named Charles Something. It mentioned how he was devious, mean, and unworthy of love. I thought it was peculiar and I wondered what the purpose of writing that--presumably by his relatives-was, especially since it was couched in vague, general terms and didn't specify what, exactly, he had done. Anyway, I'll be interested in more obits, as I've always had a fixation on them--or maybe on death itself.

SUNDAY AT ELLEN'S

 After the usual Sunday routine, I dressed, prepared my cart, and went out to wait for the Access Van. Driver was a little late, having gone to the Hill Street gate where, of course, I wasn't. He finally got to the main entrance, though, and off we went.

El and I had planned for me to be there about noon and I was early, but no prob.  She's done a lot to unpack, put away, and get things in order, but has a long way to go. However, the place looks lovely, and the fact that she has so many cabinets, drawers, and other storage space makes the task so much easier (and me green with envy). Happily, the HVAC work is done; that was a drag for her. She still has plans for things, but it's close to being finished.  In the living room is a large kind of wheel; it must be at least five feet high and wide, made of wood and lined with felt. This is a kind of big treadmill for the kitties, but neither Gwennie nor Cessy has yet ridden it. El plans to have the large side porch enclosed and will put it out there eventually.

El made a nice lunch of chicken salad, then she installed (herself! with an electric drill! And perfectly!) drapery holdbacks on the big side window. She had already done the front ones, along with the rods. We then walked to the community center, just a short distance away and looked around at the large gym, pool, spa, gathering room, and kitchen. The building is very spacious and well-kept; can't wait to go in the pool there.

It was very warm (84 degrees, but I understand the East Coast has been even warmer). Later, we sat on the porch and chatted. The Access Van picked me up about 6:15 and I was pleased to see the driver was Eric, whom I've had before and like a lot. Eric celebrated his 29th birthday last week and is full of good cheer, so it was enjoyable riding with him and we shared a lot of laughs.

As for today, I have our first get-together with cast and crew and "Studio J" from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. I scheduled the Access Van for this, too, but I'm hoping somebody--maybe Ken--will be in the group and will volunteer to take me home from subsequent meetings. We're scheduled for Wednesday, too, plus several dates a week until opening in August. 

I'm very curious to see how this will set up. Neither Jeff nor Shannon seem to be involved, which is unusual, but from what I've been told, understandable.  

Ugh, I had a terrible time sleeping last night. I seem to have some kind of itchy rash between some of my toes and it kept me up for hours. It finally subsided with anti-itch cream, and I hope doesn't recur.   

SATURDAY

I had toyed with the idea of walking to Wal-Mart, but changed my mind. Instead, I sat down with my list of things to do, which included paying July's rent (electronically, of course, I use Loft); ordering from Amazon Werther Sugar Free candy ($21) and printer ink ($35.56)* contacting management for info about their carpet cleaning company--my living room needs them badly; and calling the Access Ven to go to and from Ellen's today. After that, I made up my lunch and took it out to the middle to eat. Usually, I change the sheets on Sunday morning, but I decided to do it yesterday, so did. After I remade the bed, I took a 20-minute nap, then did a color wash.   

Ellen texted me, asking if I wanted to have lunch today at Sea Fresh or salad and chicken at her place. I've fallen out of love with Sea Fresh, but said the latter sounds great and I hope it isn't too hot to eat on the porch. 

I've been having a few problems with the photo part of my laptop, so took it over to Asurion. However, only one guy was there and there were two in front of me, so told him I'd come back tomorrow. Went to CVS, but stayed around home most of the day. 

I forgot to add this on Friday: Sharon in her fourth of July outfit:

And this 67-year-old still-to-motion pic, I put on Facebook. Family enjoyed it, but animated, our faces look utterly unlike us--really weird--or, as my nephew commented, "creepy."

*And the toner was at my door when I got up just now at 5:27 am--modern life is amazing.