Life is a Stage

Oh my gosh! I've wasted so much time the past several days trying to find parts to craft a candlestick telephone. I am Kim's assistant for the next Baytown Little Theater play after Titanic the Musical. Kim is directing the 1927 play, Front Page. It is the story of a 1920's news room and the writers that inhabit it. When the play was written it was a modern-day story, but today it is a period piece. That makes the play's properties list a challenge since so many of the pieces needed are not produced any longer. One such thing are candlestick telephones...five to six candlestick telephones to be exact. We have a wall telephone at the theater that I bought for another period play. We only have one candlestick telelphone like the picture here, that we bought on eBay. They don't go cheap and so to spend $150.-$200. of our show budget on telephones just isn't an option. I'm hoping that local community theaters will come to our aide.

Kim brought two books home from the library about making various types of props for plays. Each has a design for the candlestick telephone. I have worked on one of them using thread spools, an oval wooden craft plaque, a wooden dowel and other things to make it look right. It doesn't look right. Then I searched Lowe's today for pipe and lamp parts to make another version of the phone. Some of the parts were so unknown to me and I was reluctant to just ask for help. I figure that other people need help to find materials for home projects. It's hard to explain to a serious home repair person that I want PVC pipe to make a telephone.

When and if I find the 6 candlestick telephones, I'm not finished. We still need a human sized roll-top desk that a small man has to actually hide in it.

Ah, theater...what a joy! Seriously, what a joy. It really is a lot of fun being part of a theater.

Get a Job, Sha-na-na-na-na-na-...

Over 50, retired, white, female, still productive, desires to contribute to the financial status of current household. Will work part time or full time if hours are flexible. Skills include, but not confined to, writing composition, problem solving, managing people under age 10, ordering supplies, computer expertise in Word, Excel,and Power Point, can type at least 60 wpm, answer telephones, however will not do telemarketing, has experience in the theatrical arts industry, can operate an automobile, plan and implement a lesson on reading skills to 5-10 year olds, can use copy machine and unjam paper from all areas of mechanism with minimal frustration, has a desire to accomplish tasks at least 20-25 hours a week not including weekends.

I recently found a website called, Retirementjobs.com/ I thought I'd give it a try and I began filling in all the little spaces on the forms. After which I clicked "search" and got 0 hits. So I narrowed my search criteria and clicked "search" once again, still 0 hits. This went on for quite sometime until I put in something like "sales" and job title "sales representative". That got 60 hits, none of which I would want at this stage of my retired career.

I can see that this will be no easy task to change a 30 year profession in education. I would rather not have to teach children directly. That is to be translated as no substitute teaching and perhaps no tutoring. However, I won't rule out tutoring since my last school asked when I left if I'd be willing to come back as a TAKS tutor. Its a paying job, but not one that will pay enough to supplement the TRS paycheck.

"What do you want to do?" many friends have asked. I'm not sure. I wish I had a simple, positive answer for what I'd like to do, but I don't. I've thought about working in a teacher supply store selling all the stuff I used for 30 years in the classroom. I have been approached by a neighbor that works in a nearby school district about testing students for pre-AP courses and the TAKS which doesn't sound entirely bad, but still it is in education.

What I picture myself doing (in the perfect world) is a job at my computer with the occasional phone conference or face to face meeting with a client or customer and working my own hours, preferably in my houserobe and slippers. Or perhaps working in a small office situation where I do some computer work, a little phone calling, filing and working for a couple of bosses would be nice if the bosses were pleasant guys. (I say guys because I'm not too keen on working for a female. Please no hate mail.) But how to go about finding such jobs and ones that will supplement my pay enough to make a difference is going to be another thing altogether.

Any suggestions on what I can do for the next 10-15 years would be appreciated.

Drama at the Theater

Please, excuse our mess. Friday the 13th proved to be a very bad day for a woman that lost control of her vehicle at a traffic light more than 500 feet away from the east wall of the Baytown Little Theater. Apparently she had a medical emergency and never applied her brakes as she picked up speed and ran through the traffic light to a grassy field across the street. She dodged bushes and a tree as she continued across the vacant field and into the theater parking lot where she avoided collision with a line of parked cars and rammed through the east wall of the theater taking out everything in the car's path before resting center stage. As you see from this picture, it left quite a big hole in the side of the theater. You can view more photographs of this freak accident on Kim's blog. You will need to click on Touchtone's Globe to find the video and pictures.

The first play I saw at the Baytown Little Theater was Fiddler On the Roof in the summer of 1972 when Kim, his dad and brother performed in the summer musical. After college, Kim and I were married, moved back to Baytown, and continued the family tradition of performing and working with the BLT. Kim's first play to direct/perform in after our return was a spunky little comedy called, Born Yesterday which stared Judy Holliday in the 1950 film version. My involvement in theater began with the BLT 1984 summer musical, Music Man. Kim played Prof. Harold Hill and the whole Martin family, minus 3 year old Ryan, had parts in the play.

Ever since then the Martins have performed on stage, worked backstage, made costumes, worked box office, managed the house, directed plays, served on the board of directors and various committees to help the theater. The non-profit organization depends on its membership support and donations to produce quality plays. Many families, friends and acquaintances from all over the community have enjoyed and profited from their involvement with the Baytown Little Theater.

So, what will this recent accident do to the BLT? Well, as the saying goes, "the show must go on" and so it will. Our current production Titanic, the Musical was due to go up July 27 and run for 3 consecutive weekends through August 11. It will likely open a week or so later, but plans are being worked out as I type to find another venue, possibly a local school, in which to perform the play. The director and assistants were busy immediately following the accident, calling cast members and finding rehearsal space to continue preparations for the show.

As to the future of the theater's building? We aren't for sure, but given the age of the building and repairs needing to be made prior to the accident, it well may have to be demolished. If that happens, we will be sad to see the old structure go because of all the great memories we've shared from play rehearsals, performances and just general good times. However, we also look to the future with the knowledge that we will rebuild and make new memories in the new BLT for many generations to come. As the Unsinkable Molly Brown said, "We ain't down yet!"

Summer Reading

Many months ago, Kim handed me this Billy Crystal book with a comment that he thought I'd like it. I said, "Yeah, okay," and laid it on my dresser.

In past summers I have come to really enjoy a good read. I'm sure my parents are smiling about that in heaven because I was not a reader in the sense of picking up a book and reading it for pleasure. It took too much time and with my head in a book, I missed a lot that may have been going on around me. In fact it was with great pain and gnashing of teeth through first grade that I even learned to read at all. So, no, I wasn't a reader in that way. All that said, I would pick up a short novel as a junior high aged girl and read it providing there was nothing better to do. On those rare occasions if it was summer, I'd do my reading outside under the trees or laying in the middle of my bed with the blinds wide open. I suppose I wanted to make sure I didn't miss the house suddenly falling down.

Now, for some reason this summer it has been hard to settle down enough to read. Yes, I am retired, but summer is merely a mini-retirement for all teachers and I've not fully realized the state of retirement as of yet. Therefore, my lazying around the couch and computer all day long is really just an extension of my normal summer routine, retired or not. But I digress.

It is not for a lack of reading material that I can't get into a reading groove. I keep an accumulation of books to read on my cedar chest at the foot of my bed, a book or two on my nightstand, and 700 Sundays by Crystal on the dresser. The order and placement of the books around my room is sort of ranked as to when I expect to read them. Think of it like baseball players awaiting play in the game. My cedar chest is the bull pin from which I'll pluck my next read when the others are finished. The nightstand is the on deck circle and batter up for the current game. The dresser is where the rookies wait to be pulled up from the minor league. That is where the Billy Crystal book sat for months until one day on my way to the bathroom, I picked it up. Now, don't tell me you don't do that. I know you do. Even George Castanza did that when Seinfeld was in the bookstore with him. Nevertheless, the 700 Sundays has become a pretty good read and has earned a place on deck by my bed.

More on my latest summer read in a sequel post.

Thoughts to Ponder

We Are One in the Spirit

I read a lot of emails, blogs, website articles and sermons via the Internet. Some are very good, thought out writings and some are just peoples’ opinions. A lot of the writing as to what God wants or instructs us to be/do is being conveyed through this modern mode of communication. Contrary to what some may think, many people from all walks of life, believe in God and that he is active in our lives today.

There are scores of people who lean on God for the hope of a better tomorrow. Recently I have read chats on an Internet AA forum. The people who have been working the steps for a while believe there has to be a greater power than themselves on which to call on for help with their struggle against alcoholism. However, for many people this understanding of a higher power only comes after much trial and error. Some of the newcomers appear to struggle with that aspect of the program.

Daily devotional thoughts also make up part of what I read online. For example a typical devotional will have a quote from scripture and then the author’s thoughts are written so we can contemplate the morals being taught by God. Quite often I find that the devotionals fit in with what are in my own thoughts that day.

Some may think that the daily devotionals and the AA Forum chats would be totally different subject matters. However, I find many similarities in the two. For example both write about getting out of our own head thinking. A quote from a daily devotional I read recently says,

“It (our worship) requires a transformed mind and an obedient lifestyle to test and approve what God’s will is.”

And here is a quote from an AA member:

"AA tells me to think of the 24 hours ahead of me and
ask God to direct my thinking especially asking that
it be divorced of self-pity, dishonest or self-seeking
motives…. AA tells me that my thought-life will be placed on a much higher plane when my thinking is cleared of wrong motives".

Did you catch that? “…when my thinking is cleared of wrong motives,” sounds a lot like a “transformed mind and obedient lifestyle” doesn’t it?

We can learn a lot from so many people and not just the ones at our church. The fact that I find people outside of my church-going family to be believers in God is encouragement to me. Although, I expect the folks I share a pew with on Sunday morning to be believers in God’s mercy and grace. However, it is as much, maybe more meaningful to me, to realize that I have comrades outside of my church family believing about God the way I do. Whether they are members of another church or the AA, our struggles are much the same. Until we succeed in transforming our thinking to be more like God, we must continually seek His help 24/7, 365 days and one day at a time.

"When My Love to Christ Grows Weak"

"When my love to Christ grows weak,
When for deeper faith I seek,
Then in thought I go to Thee,
Garden of Gethsemane!"
(Songs of Faith and Praise)

While Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, he advised them to "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." (Matthew 26:41)

Truer words were never spoken. Our spirit wants to be right, but this mortal body and all of its entrapments of sin, are weak vessels. Be on the lookout, watch out because when we are tempted, no matter how much we have said we would not fall...we do. Weak vessels on the water will sink. Holes in the sides of the boat will not allow it to float. I am one such weak vessel and even though my spirit wants to be strong it is not.

But glory to God, Christ died for me. He comes to me in my dreams, in my prayers and through His Word saying, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) Words of comfort for the times I stop watching and the heaviness of my eyes cause me to fall asleep. I fall asleep and sin overcomes me.

Dear God in heaven, "hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven..."
I pray this morning for strength. With my guard down, temptation came to me. Forgive me of my sins and give me strength to do your work on earth. As Paul said, "For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out." (Romans 7:18) Like the disciples in the Garden, I am tired, my eyelids are heavy and I stopped watching. I pray for deliverance from the temptations that play on my weak body. My desire is to be a servant for Jesus sake.
It is in Jesus' name I pray for my sins to be forgiven. Amen.

May we all be at peace today seeking God's will for us.

I'm Not Complaining, Just Saying...

Long days, these are some long days. I'm not complaining. Just saying.

The rains keep coming down. As I type, the rain has ceased for a time and the lush green rain-drenched leaves and blades of grass glisten in the sun. The locusts are singing while the occasional sounds of the road in the distance break up this quiet day. My backyard "rainforest" is brimming over with tall bushy scrubs on the back fence. When it all dries up, I have a lot of work to do. Not that I'm complaining, I'm just saying.

Last week I was in Abilene and it was greener than I've ever seen it at this time of year. I know they have prayed for rain in past summers. Now, I think they'd like to say, "Okay, God, that's good. You can stop now." Of course, they don't dare complain...just saying.

Our new yellow crowned night herons are still up in their nest. The young birds have been up there for a month now. Recently, I observed 3 gangly young birds instead of two like I originally thought were in the tree. Don't know when the youngsters will decide to fly out of their nest. Not complaining at all because they have been fun to watch.

I've enjoyed listening to my iTunes and downloading music and videos lately. A recent download was the TV mini-series of "Starter Wife". I had such a good time watching this shallow little soap opera, that I just had to own it.


Another iTunes download was the soundtrack to the second "Pirates of the Carribean" movie, Dead Man's Chest by German-born composer Hans Zimmer. The stirring orchestration is fabulous!

I am pretty much doing nothing except sitting in my recliner most days in my gown until well past noon. As you see I am on the computer right now. Back when the boys were little I thought my summers were the busiest time for me. Now, they are the slowest. Not complaining. Just saying.

I've got to get some actual work done for the Baytown Little Theater. I recently took on the writing and mailing of the theater newsletter. I have to call the post office today and ask them how they want me to sort these 230 pieces of mail I've stuck tabs and address labels on. Its all volunteer work. Not that I'm complaining, just saying...

Wow! Already 2:00 in the afternoon. Where does the time go on such a long day? Wish I had a maid...or a cook... Just saying, it would be nice. ;-)

Convalescing

The day after returning from a trip is tiring. Today is rainy and I haven't even opened the curtains to let in the day. Here it is almost 10:00 in the morning and both Kim and I are sitting in our recliners with our p.j.'s on. Our bodies are a bit road-weary.

Kim is particularly tired from his long drive home. He covered a lot of the East coast driving back to Texas from Connecticut and places in-between. If you want, you can read about his recent travels on a website he set up especially for his trip. He first went to College Station earlier in June with a group of teens from our community theater. Home for only three days, he flew to North Carolina to attend another theater conference. After the 5-day theater event, his dad drove up and met him so they could take a road trip together. They covered a lot of territory and put a lot of miles on the odometer, but from all reports, I'd say father and son had a great vacation together.

When my husband first began talking about all the places he would be traveling to in June, I was glad to be staying home. Having recently completed another year in a public education classroom, I was happy to be staying home. Thinking that I would be alone most of those days, I began to think about things I might do around the house. However, when a couple of girlfriends invited me on a lakehouse retreat, I couldn't resist tagging along. After a week of blissful relaxation, I came home to spend only one night alone. Our youngest son called to say he'd be spending the week with me while working a job in town. Before the week was up, plans were made for me to travel to Abilene to have a little reunion with a couple of friends from my college days. We shopped, laughed and talked our heads off. By the time I got home last night, Kim was home and I had only spent about 3 days by myself.

So, today it is raining cats and dogs outside and we have stationed ourselves in our respective chairs. He with his newspaper, working Suduko and I right here on my computer plugged into iTunes and the internet.

It's going to be a slow day and I'd say its time for another cup of coffee.