Saturday, December 24, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
Friday Roundup
The two photos above are a tiny sampling of the goodies Pammy has been baking the last couple of weeks. Just looking at them makes me put on some weight.
Here it is once again: Friday. And not only is it Friday but it is Christmas Eve Eve! The spirit of the season is strong here at Rancho Ramirez. It's cloudy and cold around here as it should be this time of year. It helps puts one in the proper holiday frame of mind. I suspect we'll be making hot chocolate before too long.
My son and daughter have been keeping busy in various ways. My son has been devouring the book Eregon for the last few days and today is just a few pages from the end. Very cool. We've got the second book and he'll no doubt begin reading it even while the first book is still warm. My little girl has been busy making homemade presents of all sorts in secret and setting the wrapped goodies under the tree. She is indeed a jolly ol' elf just like her mom.
Pammy, the jolliest of elves, has been busy baking at work and over at her buddy Diana's house having a merry old time in the process. These are high school friends she's never lost touch with over the years. Talk about a Festivus miracle! I've pretty much lost touch with all my old friends and I often wonder where they are now. Facebook is not an option. Life will just have to bring us together or not.
I've been drawing and painting these last few days before the big day but mostly I've been wrapping gifts and sending out cards. I think it's o.k. if they get to their destination a little after Christmas because for many, including ourselves, the holidays don't end until after the New Year. The show ain't over till the school bell rings.
Well, I'm off to have another cup of "Joe" and see what's going on in the rest of the bloggerhood. Hasta luego.
Happy Festivus!
Tis the season for aluminum poles, feats of strength and the airing of grievances!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festivus
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
More Hobbit Fun
Apparently there's also a Hobbit blog. I should have known. More fun stuff to enjoy! Click here to go to the Hobbit blog. Enjoy.
Theater Memories- DCT's Best Christmas Pageant Ever 1996
Our first year in Dallas was difficult. We had very little money with only enough to make rent and pay bills more or less. We juggled them for a while. But in a very short time, thanks to our dear friend Christy, we had some work clowning at various functions which helped a great deal allowing a little breathing room to do more theater. Toward the end of the second year we had finally started to establish ourselves in the theater community.The Dallas Children's Theater provided us with the most work in the first few years. During the holidays you can count on seeing most any theater putting on A Christmas Carol, The Nutcracker and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever in which I played the Reverend Hopkins who was supposed to be in his early forties ( I was thirty one. I love theater). It had a pretty big cast consisting mostly of children. The main child characters were the Herdmans who were described as "the worst kids in the history of the whole world."
During one moment in the play the Herdmans focus their destructive attention on the reverand who is a quiet and somewhat meek character. There's was no description for what the Herdmans did to the reverand. He enters the stage after being accosted by them and makes a brief speech. I wanted the reverend to look like he'd been roughed up a bit so I removed one shoe, pulled the sock so that it was barely on my foot,un-tucked my shirt, messed up my hair, undid my necktie and put a "kick me" sign on my back. The director thought the sign was too much but like the rest. When I saw the play a few years later they were still using my bits 'o' comedy. Made me feel good.
The cast was doubled up so we had two sets of all the kids and some of the adults. I, as well as most of the adults were not double cast so I got to be in all the shows which was great. It just made the holidays all the more fun. Pammy and I were far away from our families so it was lonely. We didn't get to travel home much early on because money was tight and our vehicles were not ready for the long drive to San Antonio and Laredo.
All the kids were great. They followed direction well and never missed a cue. Real pros all of them. Karl Schaeffer who was on staff at the theater and was cast as the eldest Herdman kid, took some video backstage and I recently found it. he interviewed some of the cast and then made copies for everyone as a gift. I think only one theater around here has put on that play in the nine years we've been here. It's a bigger than usual cast that includes many children and not a lot of theaters have the experience and patience of working with so many children. It's a good story, perhaps a little corny but very family friendly. Check it out if it's playing in your area. It's a nice change of pace from the usual holiday fare. Below is a condensed look at the t.v. version aired way back in 1983.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
Monday, Monday, Monday
The holiday break started with colds for the kids and pink eye for my daughter. Man,oh, man! At least they'll be well for the big day this Sunday. I'm not sick yet and hope I don't catch anything. I'm too old for pink eye!
Good news on the puppet front. Our salamander puppet being made by the good folks at the Dallas Puppet Theater is nearer to being finished. We got a peek at it and it looks pretty good!
I'm still working on the Texas history comic book and I hope to start inking sometime before the New Year. I'm pretty happy with the results so far. I think the hardest part hasn't been the drawing but the research and editing down of the text to the most essential facts of this particular historical event while trying to tell both sides of the story as evenly as possible. Texas history covering the Texas Revolution and the events leading up to the Mexican American War are still a pretty touchy subject around here and people like to take sides. For me, in order to tell the story correctly and do it justice, I shouldn't be favoring either side. Just the facts, ma'am.
Good news on the puppet front. Our salamander puppet being made by the good folks at the Dallas Puppet Theater is nearer to being finished. We got a peek at it and it looks pretty good!
I'm still working on the Texas history comic book and I hope to start inking sometime before the New Year. I'm pretty happy with the results so far. I think the hardest part hasn't been the drawing but the research and editing down of the text to the most essential facts of this particular historical event while trying to tell both sides of the story as evenly as possible. Texas history covering the Texas Revolution and the events leading up to the Mexican American War are still a pretty touchy subject around here and people like to take sides. For me, in order to tell the story correctly and do it justice, I shouldn't be favoring either side. Just the facts, ma'am.