Friday's Odds and Ends

This is going to be a short post today as I have been busy the past few days and did not have time to read the news and find something to rant about, which may be a good thing for my blood pressure. Part of what has occupied my time is helping out with a production at the Winnsboro Center For the Arts. Rudy Ramos, an actor from Hollywood, is in town to do his one-man show, Geronimo, Life on the Reservation, and we are so thrilled to have an actor of his talent on our stage.

We have a busy day planned for today. First we are going to a television station where Rudy will be interviewed. I'm going along to make sure he gets to Tyler and back without getting lost. It's almost 60 miles one way, and he does not know his way around East Texas. His friend who is driving has a good GPS, but it doesn't hurt to have a local who knows the shortcuts and has a map come along.

For the production, I am stepping into the role of stage manager, which means I get to help with the set and costume changes. Set change is going to be easy. Between scene one and scene two I put a chair on stage. After scene two I take it off.  After that, there will be nothing else for me to do on stage, as the rest of the show is done with no set pieces or props.

That is quite a challenge for an actor. To make a story come to life with nothing but a bare stage and his or her ability to get into character. Not many can pull it off, and I was impressed with how well Rudy did this during a tech rehearsal on Thursday.

Here is just a sample of the magic Rudy creates on stage. This video was shot in Memphis to kick off the nationwide tour of this show.



We will have performances on Saturday and Sunday, with more rehearsal this afternoon, so you will understand it if I am a bit absent this weekend. No, I didn't say absent-minded. Just absent. So have a great weekend, and play nicely without me.

My joke from the comic strips today is from Heart of the City by Mark Tatulli

Heart is walking down the street with her side-kick, Dean. She says, "Someday when I'm rich and famous, I'll have somebody to do all my cleaning. I'll have somebody to do my shopping, pay my bills, wash my clothes, drive my car, AND feed my cat."

"So what will you do?"

"Apparently walking around L.A. with a water bottle and complaining about the paparazzi is THE job to have today."

Friday's Odds and Ends

After checking the national weather and seeing the temperatures on the East Coast: -16 in Boston, I will not complain about the 20 degrees here in East Texas, although my animals were complaining big time, especially the goat and the sheep. Both were shivering like mad when I went out to give them some hay and bust out the ice on their water pans.

This is a strong storm that has brought all the freezing temperatures and hit the Midwest and East Coast with such an impact, but I am a bit surprised, and amused, that the media has named it. I guess simply calling it a winter storm isn't enough for the folks who bring us the news. Naming it Winter Storm Hercules makes it sound much more significant, although I'm sure the people who are experiencing the blizzard conditions and extreme cold are finding the storm significant enough without having to give it a name.

Remember when only hurricanes were named? I wonder if we will now start naming tornadoes and those really horrific thunderstorms that sweep across the country. That might justify the hours and hours spent on reporting the weather. Last night's newscasts, both local and national, led with the weather, and maybe there could have been a better balance between that and other news. Just a thought.

A reminder that spring will come again.

Fun From the Funny Papers - First from Heart of the City by Mark Tatulli

Heart is walking down the street with her side-kick, Dean. She says, "Someday when I'm rich and famous, I'll have somebody to do all my cleaning. I'll have somebody to do my shopping, pay my bills, wash my clothes, drive my car, AND feed my cat."

"So what will you do?"

"Apparently walking around L.A. with a water bottle and complaining about the paparazzi is THE job to have today."

I don't know whether to laugh or cry at this one from Doonesbury. A football player walks into B.D's office at Walden and asks, "Coach, you got a moment?"

"Sure, Anthony, what's up?"

"Coach, I was wondering if I could take time off to go to a few classes."

"Classes?! Are you nuts? Check your contract, son. You're not here to study. You're part of the first cohort of paid Walden athletes. That's athletes, not student-athletes. No more distractions from what's important. I need you to be thinking football every minute of the day. I can't have you wasting time in class."

"How about a library card? Can I at least get a library card?"

"Then all the guys would want one. Think, Anthony. Think."

That's all folks. Bundle up and stay warm this weekend, and I'm sending some virtual hot chocolate to family and friends on the East Coast. 

Image courtesy of My Recipes.com - You can make this with or without brandy, but brandy does keep you warm.

Do you have plans for the weekend that will take you outside? I'm hoping to stay indoors as much as possible. This is a good time to find a good book and curl up under a Snuggie. 

Friday's Odds and Ends

For a little over a week I've been a bit preoccupied with medical issues affecting my family, but I have kept up with the trial of Maj. Nidal Hasan, the Army psychiatrist charged with massacring soldiers at Fort Hood, the army base in Texas. He is being tried in a military court, and the panel of 13 senior officers received the case on Thursday, with deliberations to resume today.

Photo Credit - Brigitte Woosley via AP

Hasan is charged with 13 counts of murder and 32 counts of attempted murder in the November 5, 2009, shooting rampage at a deployment processing center where prosecutors say he targeted soldiers he was set to deploy with to Afghanistan. During the trial, the prosecution said that the evidence shows that Hasan believed he had a jihad duty to kill as many soldiers as possible. If Hasan is convicted of two or more counts of premeditated murder, he faces a possible death sentence in the penalty phase.

In the meantime, Hasan continues to draw his full military salary. While so many of us think that is so wrong, and certainly an insult to the families of his victims, there is a reason why pay is not suspended immediately after someone in the military is charged with a crime. On Outlook.com, Kate Andrews had an interesting article about that issue. It is well worth a read.

NOTE: The jury found Hasan guilty late this afternoon, and sentencing deliberations begin on Monday.

In less serious news, a man in Minnesota had his license taken away for driving too slowly and he won't be able to get it back. Gary Constans, 59, was stopped by police several times between 2008 and 2012, when his license was taken away. Constans said in court his Ford Ranger has a "sweet spot" for gas mileage at 48 mph. He plans to continue trying to get his license back. "I just thank the Lord I'm retired from all my jobs, and I thank the Lord I don't have a wife, because could you see her yelling at me?" Constans said.

I'm guessing the folks stuck behind him did a bit of yelling, too.

Now for some fun from the comics. This one is from Heart of the City by Mark Tatulli.

Heart is walking down the street with her side-kick, Dean. She says, "Someday when I'm rich and famous, I'll have somebody to do all my cleaning. I'll have somebody to do my shopping, pay my bills, wash my clothes, drive my car, AND feed my cat."

Dean asks, "So what will you do?"

"Apparently walking around L.A. with a water bottle and complaining about the paparazzi is THE job to have today."