Our Brand New Year

It is now that time of year,

When everyone seems full of cheer.

But we should know there’s trouble there,

Some of whom have no joy to share.

At midnight’s stroke on New Year’s Eve,

Let us 2011 start to weave.

My resolution for our newest year,

Will be blessings for all of you - my dears!



photo from:  http://themistressofspices.files.wordpress.com/

..... what can I say, I've been "waxing poetical" recently!  AND that brings up .. where the heck did that phrase come from anyway?
 
FROM ANSWERBAG.COM:
 
One can wax poetic, lyrical, eloquent, philosophical, etc. It's all pretty much the same thing. But finding the origins of this phrase is a bit tricky.
One sense of wax (as an intransitive verb) is to pass into a mood or state.

In this sense one could understand the phrase wax poetic (or sarcastic, or whatever) and this would certainly lead one to doubt whether this phrase is an idiom (as I had been thinking) because it can be taken literally.

The Canadian Oxford Dictionary suggests that wax (in this sense) has a Germanic origin: wachsen (to grow). The interesting thing about this relationship is that wachsen never has an attribute, i.e. neither wax poetic nor grow old translate.

The Encarta online dictionary's suggestion is that this sense of wax is from Old English weaxan, and ultimately from an Indo-European base meaning �to increase,� which is also the ancestor of English "augment" and "eke."

The American Heritage Dictionary agrees, adding that this word is an offshoot of the Indo-European Language family's root fragment "aug", from whence we get words like augment, inaugurate, auxilliary, august, and auction.

Hope that helps a bit!

******** um, not really! :-)

A Couplet, The Cat - Amusement by "Moi"

The cat is sitting by my side,

True feelings no, she does not hide.

A puff of furr shows displeasure,

A stroke of hand reveals a treasure.

Is not the cat a basic soul,

A drink of water, food in a bowl.

With mews and purrs, sometimes a wink,

One may just wonder what she thinks.

free graphic at http://www.i-love-cats.com/

All Rights Reserved

"How" and "Why" I Got Involved In Theatre

Okay so now that I’ve admitted to “hanging around” Midland Community Theatre (MCT) for 35 years - still hard for me to believe - let me go ahead and tell you some more about me :-) and theatre.

Even though, I was involved throughout grade school with school plays (the earliest I remember was 2nd grade) ... but not in junior or high school, I got involved in being a “jock” (track, basketball, volleyball) “nuf said” (that theatre stuff was for pansies after all, wasn’t it?) AND even though my mother was big into always putting on the Christmas plays at the churches we attended (yes, my range was from angel, to - yes - even playing Joseph one year ... but in all fairness, I also got to play Mary one year!) ... I will simply add here that the year I played Joseph, I found out that you don’t want to be involved with LIVESTOCK on stage ... stubborn donkey wouldn’t budge and then had the nerve to step on my foot!

Sooooo, how did I hook up with MCT, because I never really thought of actually “doing” theatre after grade school?

I was in Student Government at Midland College when we were approached by MCT to partner in a spook house project. We the government :-) (always wanted to say that) decided that a spook house would be a good thing for the students to become involved in (and attend).

Sooooo, one night while I was preparing to work tickets and was speaking with a theatrical type (can’t remember who now), somehow it came up that I sang. As a theatre advocate, this person told me I should consider trying out for Oklahoma and told me when auditions were - I ... somehow ... decided I’d give it a go, these theatre folks seemed pretty nice (and funny).

Sooooo, I did go, I did get cast in the female singing ensemble and I had a blast running on and singing and running off (there was a separate female dance ensemble) ... that is when I decided I needed to learn to dance because as much fun as I was having, it appeared the dancers were having even a better time - at least a much more active time (as I mentioned I’d been a jock, so I was all about active!) (Over the coming years, I worked backstage ALOT and was onstage a bit here and there, until I gained more experience, knowledge and ability of being onstage .... at that point the backstage/onstage experiences became just about equal!)

... and, as they say ... now you know the rest of the story (well most of it anyway!)

Book-Ending a Career Hobby?

Okay, I admitted this outloud last evening and it really made an impression in my brain, which I now ponder. What you may ask? :-)

I have auditioned (yes, once again) for Theatre Midland’s 2011 season opener Oklahoma and yes, I’m currently in White Christmas ... yes, I got cast in Oklahoma and, although I will do “back-to-back” shows on occasion - I try not to.

So, now to the saying “outloud” part - in a congratulations received backstage last evening I made the statement that disregarding the fact that I love musicals - I auditioned for Oklahoma for an “additional” reason and that being Oklahoma was the first show I ever did at Theatre Midland.

Two responses now spring to mind:

(1) “How long ago was that?”

• 35 years -- I mean really, I admitted this outloud?! (I’ve done theater at MCT that long? Of course, excepting a short 6-7 year hiatus that I allowed myself, at the point I refused to “take” ... any longer ... a “past” director’s snide remarks. Okay, I’ll also admit I had no intention of returning to theatre when I left ... guess I “got the bug”.)

(2) “As long as you don’t make it your last show.”

• Well, before this statement came up, I had discussed that thought with my husband, I mean at some point you need to give it up - before you start embarrassing yourself (yes, even as an actor - I mean you all know how “we” are). It would be fitting to “bookend” a “career hobby” with the same show - sort of adds that note of “just right.”

Anyway, I doubt I put an end to my embarrassing myself any time soon - I mean there are some great shows on the 2011 season - so maybe I’ll branch out and away from musicals and REALLY get into the embarrassment stage of auditioning for non-musicals ... those for which I am truly untalented!

Have a great day (and weekend) my Buddies!

Rose Beyond the Wall by A. L. Frink

A rose once grew 

where all could see, 

sheltered beside 

a garden wall, 

And as the days passed 

swiftly by, 

it spread its branches, straight and tall...

 One day, a beam of light 

shone through 

a crevice that had

opened wide ~ 

The rose bent gently 

toward its warmth 

then passed beyond 

to the other side

Now, you who deeply 

feel its loss, 

be comforted ~ the rose blooms there ~ 

its beauty even greater now, 

nurtured by 

God's own loving care.

December 1 - Really?!

Here it is December 1, 30 days to the end of the month ... how did that happen, didn't we just celebrate the New Year turning to 2010?

First thing I think of today is it is World AIDS Day - I think of my friends who are no longer here with us because of this disease and I let them know - I think of you often, not just today.  Even though it has been almost 30 years since AIDS was first recognized and in spite of the advances made in treating the disease and in spite of all the education available to people - do you know they say that there's still 1.1 million people living with HIV -- AND YET one in five people don't know it!

Second, another "blast from past history" ... I believe it was today - in 1955 - that Rosa Parks was arrested for disobeying the Alabama law that black passengers relinquish their seats to white passengers, when the bus was full (and also to sit in the back).  (Yes, just checked this date is correct.)  Her quote from Quiet Strength "I did not get on the bus to get arrested, I got on the bus to go home." 

My third thought for today is ... how did we get to the end of this year to quickly?  I suppose the more "stuff" that happens during the year, the more you ignore time passing ... then "all the sudden" :-) you are at the end of the year and you think -- what?!  Any thoughts on that matter ... comments are welcome! :-)

So I propose that next year we all take time to take the time and enjoy each and every single day ... do something special, with someone special -- or just by yourself!  It may only be to take a few more minutes to sip the drink of your choice and reflect on the beauty of life!

Good Day Buddies ... a bit more random than I started this blog off to be today ... but that is what "came out" !!!  One just never knows with me :-)