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.