Since Last We Talked

There have been many many changes, indeed! 

For instance, we are no longer living in the same apartment.  (You probably already knew that since you know me, or I assume you know me since you're reading my blog and only acquaintances seem to read it.)  At the beginning of October we were suddenly given 30 days notice by our landlords of over 6 years.  They decided to try and sell the building and needed us out so they could renovate.  That sucked!  We lived in that apartment for several years, and out of nowhere we were forced to find a new place to live and move in under a month!  We did it, however, and are now residing in a 2 bedroom apartment in a complex in Glen Burnie.  We traded the isolated duplex and the scenic beauty of Epping Forest for a multiple building apartment complex off of RT 97.  This will be temporary.  Of course that's what we said about the last place.

I have a new to me car, a 2006 Ford Taurus, that I bought from an acquaintance and it promptly broke down and left me stranded on the side of 695 2 weeks after getting it.  The Blue Demon is dead and the Raffleloff is continuing our streak of problematic automobiles - in all fairness the Blue Demon was a pretty reliable car until I ran it into another car.  

 It's to the point where people are actually laughing at my luck or saying things like, "Wow, I feel  like you've taken a few fastballs to the gut lately", or "It's almost like a cosmic joke."  To illustrate their point of view I'll list a few other bad luck occurrences: I had an infected cyst on my shoulder, had to have that drained twice -  the 2nd time because there were actually 2 cysts side by side -  and this past week, while moving my derelict motorcycle from the old apartment to Adam's garage, I severely bruised my calf muscle and had to limp around for several days in pretty significant discomfort.  Yes, I got into a motorcycle accident with a bike that doesn't even run.  A coworker just started laughing when he saw my limp, and said, "What now?"

So new car... new apartment.  Guess those are the 2 biggest changes in our life right now.  Pretty significant things though, and they happened right on top of each other.  Plus the cysts, and the leg.. some sunshine has to shine through eventually. 
 

'Twas I Who Slay The Demon!

Or would it be slain?  Have I slayed the demon?  Regardless, the Blue Demon is dead!  Our KIA Rio has been declared a total loss after my car accident several weeks ago.  I didn't think it was that bad but apparently once they got the hood off the damage was more extensive than they originally thought.  It would have ended up costing too much money to fix the damage, and the car wasn't worth a whole lot of money to begin with.  So now we are suddenly in the market for a car... again.

Seven and a Half Days Later

I am now over 1 week removed from one of the must exhilarating, frustrating, and overwhelming experiences I've had in a very long time. I am speaking of the 24 Hour Project at Colonial Players of Annapolis. The object is to cast, rehearse and mount a fully staged theatrical production within 24 hours.

Sound impossible?

Well, I guess that depends on many, many factors. What's the show? Who's in it? How big is the cast, the seeet, the theatricality... everything? Who's directing? Can the cast handle the pressure?

Well, the show was called "While The Lights Were Out" and it was a murder mystery farce in 3 acts. Sound difficult? Let's factor in the large cast size, 15 members, the British dialects, and the fact that almost all of the cast members are onstage for the vast majority of the show.

Very nearly impossible.

By the time lights came up on our ambitious project we had yet to make it through a run of the show without major incident. Lines were not memorized. Some cast members seemed to have no idea what came next or what actually were major plot points. The stumble through rehearsals were taking over 3 1/2 hours, and a few cast members, including myself, were about to lose their shit!

Keep in mind, this is the 1st time I have been onstage in over a year. My current work schedule, family commitment, and lack of time make rehearsing and, then, performing impossible. The catch though was this would only require a 24 hour commitment. How bad could it be?

It was bad! 

Well, maybe not from the audience's stand point.  They really seemed to enjoy themselves.  They all were in on the gimmick, and seemed marvel at the fact that we were able to do so much in so little time.  In actuality, we were 15 cast members all onstage hoping someone else knew what the hell they were doing!  Lines were dropped.  Pages of dialogue were skipped over, and major plot points revisited so that the audience would understand what was going on.  It was stressful! 

Every actor, performer has a dream in which they are thrust onstage only to realize, in a panic, that they aren't prepared.  Maybe they never went to a rehearsal.  Maybe they're going on for the lead.  Maybe they just can't remember a single line of dialogue.  What ever the situation is in their dream it is stressful, and terrifying.  That dreamer may wake up in a pool of sweat screaming, "Line!  Line?  What's my friggin' line?"  Before they realize it was only a dream.  This past weekend, however, it was NOT a dream!  It was my reality, and I am so grateful to have made it through without alienating anayone involved, screaming at those same people or crapping my pants onstage.  I am not sure I will be auditioning next time around.

5 More Things

The Summer rolls on and here are a few more things that are making me happy right now.  (This does not exclude all of the smiles, hugs, and kisses from family and/or any laughs or giggles I have had recently due to conversations in my life.)

1.   New Kicks -  The other night I went to kick off my shoes and the sole ripped off of the bottom.  Hmmm, maybe I've been wearing these shoes too much.  I'm on my feet all day at work and I need some comfortable footwear.  Enter my new clearance rack New Balance.  New shoes can be so nice.  Of course, they've already been put through the ringer.

2.  Beach Fun with Button - Sara and I have been trying to take Evie Sue down to the neighborhood beach more often.  Our neighborhood has great access to the Severn River and neither one of us uses the beach as much as we used to.  So we've been suiting up with the daughter and taking her down to play in the sand, and with a little coaxing we get her into the water, which she universally calls "Lulu".  (If it's wet, and cold she calls it "Lulu".  For drinking or splashing - it's "Lulu".  It's "Lulu" when she thirsty.  It's "Lulu" when she is nervous about the tiny little waves.  It's "Lulu" when we are dragging her from the beach and she mournfully calls after the river; wanting more time to splash and frolic.) 

3.  Jawbreakers & Podcasts - In an effort to keep my commute interesting - Good Luck - I have been listening to a wide range of podcasts.  Thanks to my BeyondPod App on my smartphone I have listened to financial podcasts, scientific podcasts, pop culture podcasts, and even free literary podcasts.  It's helped lessen the monotony.  I also bought a clearance jar of Jawbreakers to help with the drive.  (This post was partially sponsored by clearance racks everywhere.)

4.  Fantasy Football - The NFL season is almost upon us and that means I have to get my Fantasy Football game on.  It's been several years now since I've been playing the fantasy leagues with varying success, and I have had fun with the little distraction.  I am able to separate fantasy from reality, for the most part, and enjoy the strategy, statistics, and smack talk.  I live for the smack talk!  Wish me and my 3 teams good luck this season.  That's right, I have 3 teams. 

 5.  Young Justice -   A coworker of mine loaned me a few dvds of animation series based on  DC Universe superheroes and their sidekicks.  It's a fun, guilty pleasure for a old comic book geek such as myself.  Also, this cartoon did something I never thought possible; it made Aqua-lad cool!

Cupping his hands and shouting to the heavens he cries,

"Hey Ma, Happy Birthday!  We all miss you!  This crazy little child of mine would make you laugh everyday!  Wish you were here!"  He lowers his hands, listens to the responding silence for a few moments, and then shakes his head.  Finally he adds, "Love you!" 
Under his breath he whispers, "Just in case."

Dragonflies & Lighthouses.

4 years ago, yesterday, my Ma passed away after her long battle with Ovarian Cancer.  It's a hard day to see approaching on the calendar.  Next week, on the 17th, will be her birthday.   These 2 days in such quick succession always make it a difficult week.  She was an amazing woman and I miss her everyday.Yesterday, was also the day my brother and his family became homeowners.

Today I went and helped the family move a few bigger items from their old apartment, a few blocks away, into their new digs.  Bennett and Savannah made sure I noticed a glass lamp shade in the new house.  It hangs over the dining room area, and has dragonflies on it.  "You know we have a joke in our family", Bennett explained, "about dragonflies reminding us of grandma."  Then later Savannah noticed pictures of lighthouses on the light-switch plates.  Lighthouses always remind me of my Mom.

Now, if I were the type of person who talked about angels, or used terms like 'looking down on' or 'watching over' I might make a huge deal over these 'signs'.  I'm not that type of person.  I will, however, choose to be comforted by the thought that Ma would be extremely proud and happy of the new homeowners, and would love their new house.  She would thrill at Savannah's tour, and praise Bennett's industriousness in trying to get things set up.  Congrats to the Riva Cobbs.       

Who's A Big Girl?

Evie Sue.  That's who.

Monday, today, Evie Sue moves classrooms at her daycare center!  Now, I realize that this isn't graduation from Harvard Law School but, to us, it's a pretty big deal.  She's outgrown her current classroom.  She's the oldest, if not the biggest child, in the class and needs to be moved up to a new room where she can grow socially.  That's crazy, it seems like her 1st day in daycare was just the other day.  I guess this is just how things work. 

Oh, and this morning both Sara and Evie Sue were part of a segment on the morning news program.  The story was on the local MyGym where Sara works and both of the girls could be seen running around on screen.  It was cute.

R & R in the NC

A family vacation?  What's that?

New Bern, N.C, riverfront.

It's been so long since I took some real time off from work I'd forgotten how nice it is to just get away.  This past weekend we drove down to North Carolina, along with Dad, and Reb &; his Cobbs, to spend time at a Cobb family reunion at Emerald Isle.  We all converged on a distant cousin's beach house, visited for awhile, and then headed down to the beach to play in the waves.  Evie Sue was intimidated by the Atlantic but had no problem throwing sand everywhere, and getting herself so sandy that we're still cleaning her off days later.  We also got to show the Button off to her Great Aunt's and Uncle's who had not had the pleasure of meeting her yet.  All in all it was a fun day.

Then, on Sunday, Father's Day, everyone else left the time share unit to return home and it was only us three; Sara, Evie, and me.  We were going to spend a few extra days on our own.  So nice!  (Well, the 1st day was a bit rough.  Evie Sue woke up in the middle of the night vomiting and spent half the day being sick to her stomach before finally just settling into a needy, whiny stupor.  Unfortunately, Evie's ill timed illness interfered with our Father's Day bbq lunch at Wilber's plans.)  The three of us were alone in the townhouse.
 

Early Morning Snuggles

Left to our devices we woke with the baby, spent the mornings at the pool, and then after a late morning/early afternoon nap we would head out to explore nearby towns.  We walked around downtown New Bern, the riverside Union Park, and grabbed a quick bite to eat at a local raw bar one day.  We drove to a roadside bar/attraction the next and sat in the beer garden sampling local beers.  We relaxed, we reveled, and then we returned home on Wednesday afternoon.

Not The Most Productive of Days

So today turned out a little differently than I originally planned.  I took Evie to daycare so that I could get some errands run and spend some downtime maybe reading a book, cleaning the house or any other number of things.  Sara is in NJ for job training.  Anyway, I made an appointment to drop the car off for an oil change at our mechanic.  Stupidly, I answered, "I don't need it right away," to the clerk's question. 

5 and a 1/2 hours later I was walking back along West street in the rain.  Again, in the rain.  It has rained all day long thanks to Tropical Storm Andrea.  Half my day I wasted waiting for the oil to get changed.  All of my plans went down the crapper.

Instead, I headed to Target and bought a $1 poncho.  The thing about $1 ponchos is that they suck!  The hood kept blowing off, water ran off and soaked my jeans and the poncho kept sticking to my wet clothes.  I killed some time in Whole Foods, drinking coffee, charging my phone, and trying to read my book.  I didn't get very far into the book.  I went to Union Jack's British Pub for lunch.  (Actually, that part of the day was pretty good.)  Then I decided to walk, in the rain down West Street, to Davidus Cigars and maybe relax for awhile and smoke a cigar.  As soon as I sat down and lit my stogie the mechanic called to tell me my car would be ready soon.  I played on my smartphone instead of reading, finished my cigar, and watched some Sportscenter.  Then I walked all the way back down West Street - not far in actuality but an immeasurable distance in the rain with a $1 poncho.

After I finally picked up my car I wrestled with traffic to get to daycare and pick up Evie Sue, and then fight the stream of brake lights, and bad drivers to get home.  Now here we are.  I have showered, cooked dinner, and am hoping to get the baby down for bed soon.  I wish my day had gone a little smoother but I guess it could always have been worse.

The rain just kept coming as I spent my day walking up and down West Street.

It's A Bird! It's A Plane!

No, it's a recent rash of Superman sightings in my life!  What?  That's right, suddenly Superman is everywhere!

• I started listening to the audiobook of Book of Lies by Brian Meltzer.  The book connects the story of Caine and Abel to, among other things, the creation of Superman by Jerry Seigel.  The point I am at in the book keeps discussing the 1st appearance of Superman in Action Comics #1 back in 1938.
• I'm getting to know my new Smart Phone.  I've been exploring the I Heart Radio app, and one of my stations randomly cycled through to a song by the rap artists Purple Ribbon All-Stars.  The song was entitled "Kryptonite".
• Another app on my phone plays old time radio broadcasts.  Last night on my after midnight commute I listened to the 1st two episodes of the Superman show!  I was shocked to find Superman stepped out of his spaceship as a fully grown man in the radio show, when every other version I know tells of the Kents finding and raising the little orphan from space.

All signs seem to be pointing me in the direction of the June 14th release of 'Man of Steel'; the latest Superman movie!  Now, admittedly I've been a comic book lover all of my life and although our current finances don't allow me to indulge much at the comic book store I do get excited about the superhero movies and try to see them on the big screen.  (The last movie I believe I saw in the theaters was 'The Avengers' close to a year ago.  I don't get out much either.)

I think that's what the universe is trying to tell me with all of these Superman things popping up in my life.  Maybe  I should go to the movies and support the last son of Krypton!

Or maybe I'll just pop in Kill Bill: PT 2 and watch David Carradine's monologue about Clark Kent Vs Superman.

A Picture Of Me In Metropolis, Illinois 2011.