Somebody Pinch Me

Checked mine for the first time in forever and found these gems:

+ earring magic ken
+ charlize theron diving board
+ males with bubble butts
+ jake’s unbaked granola
+ sexy male faces
+ tattoo flash of rum bottles
+ clowns with guns tattoos

Um. Okay. Interesting. Especially since these were not one hit wonders, but there are multiple people searching for these things or one individual searching multiple times. I love it.

More later. Now that we’ve eliminated TV from our lives so husband can focus on studying and I can focus on writing, I imagine more regular blog postings will be in the cards.

HARRIET McCUNE (nee Zeigler), age 87, of Auburn Twp, entered into rest March 9, 2008. Beloved wife of the late Francis “Hockey”; loving mother of Nancy Spaeth, Frank (Peggy), Jimmy (Shirley), Sharon (Bob) Vales, Linda (Mark) Snyder and Ann (Bo) Childress; devoted grandmother of 18 and great grandmother of 29. Preceded in death by her son David, son-in-law Don Spaeth and brothers William, Franklin and Robert Zeigler. The family will receive friends TUESDAY MARCH 11 FROM 2- 4 and 6- 8 P.M. AT THE BLESSING FUNERAL HOME, 8592 DARROW RD., TWINSBURG, OH (1/2 MILE S. OF I-480 RT 91EXIT) where funeral services will be held Wednesday March 12, at 11:00 a.m. Interment Crown Hill Cemetery.

Nothing like a New Year’s Eve/Day post 16 days late, right?

The 5th season of The L Word - First of all, I just have to say…once again…that I absolutely HATE Jenny Schecter. I know that we are supposed to hate her now, and oh boy, I do more than ever. But I have always hated her. I know she reminds me of someone, I just can’t put my finger on it. Also, I hate the whole prison story line. I mean really, am I supposed to believe THIS? I can suspend my disbelief like a freaking champ, but even I can’t go this far.

Cashmere Mafia/soon-to-be Liptick Jungle. Cashmere Mafia is so bad that I love it. I cuddled up to a few (ok…maybe more than a few) glasses of wine and my laptop this weekend and watched the first 2 episodes. Man. It is bad. And Lucy Liu’s outfits are batshit crazy. Yeah…ok…I get that Patricia Field designed wonderfully fabulous outfits for SJP on SATC. But she was a kooky stay-at-home writer. Not the publisher of a huge magazine group. So unrealistic I can’t even stand it. And I am supposed to think that Miranda Otto’s red dress for the benefit was brave? Um…no. Boring, yes? Did she look good in it? Absolutely, but it was hardly shocking. Ok. Enough about that. I am looking forward to Lipstick Jungle, however, as I liked Lindsay Price on 90210.

Atonement - Loved it. I give it a solid B+.

Sweeney Todd - Liked it. Best comedy Golden Globe? Um…not so much. B-

Charlie Wilson’s War - So fun. Could be that I was sippin’ on red wine during the whole pic. Or the fact that my crush on Philip Seymour Hoffman just grows and grows with every picture - even if he ain’t looking his best in these fun character roles. Another B+

I am Legend - How did I miss that this was a zombie picture? As soon as they showed the huddle of zombies I was pissed. I love me a good end-of-the-world picture (I am a bit of an amateur eschatology buff after all) but this was a bit much for me. I prefer the 28 Days Later chain for my zombies, thank you very much.

National Treasure - Man, do I love me some secret passageways and as you all know, I am a huge fan of conspiracy theorists. Not that I believe all or most of them, but I love wishing that all of those grand conspiracies are true. However, the Goofy cartoon pre-flick? Very bizarre, though I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it. In other news, the Lee Harvey Oswald doc on PBS the other night did get my conspiracy juices flowing. And has me itching to watch JFK for the 3,000th time.

So that’s it for the media-type brainwashing stuff.

In other news, work is plugging along splendidly. Hubby started the second semester. I have been a bit of a hermit these days with the weather and all, but have enjoyed some nice long walks in the rain and cold, have been reading like a fiend (12 books in the new year so far!) and am looking forward to getting back in shape (physically, mentally and in general).

Andy B and I prevailed in the justice system after a 3 year battle for the unreturned security deposit (with great help from jfo and The Lizzy), so that makes me more than a bit happy.

And 2007, all in all a pretty damn good year full of fun times with friends, fam and lovelies, ended as it has for the past few years. With shots, champagne and wooden bowling at the Door after a delightful curry cooked at home for Andy B and the hubby. Christmas was fantastic and chock full of stuff to do and we even managed a 3 day escape at a rural-ish inn with much swimming and hot tubbing and wine.

And now, back to my regularly scheduled workday. Followed, thankfully, by dinner and drinks with Misterelle who I haven’t seen in an unprecedented 24 days.

And since 8 is the lucky number for me and my fam, I have a feeling this is going to be a wonderful year.

So I am directing another show. It’s a staged reading of a new play by Greg Vovos and it will run for ONE NIGHT ONLY!!! at CPT tomorrow evening at 7:30pm. Official press info is below. It’s an exciting and frustrating experience, working on a staged reading. On one hand, there is less pressure to perfect the show. I mean, it’s just a staged reading, right? Unfortunately, my brain doesn’t work that way. 8 1/2 hours of rehearsal is just not enough time. Especially with this show. Because it is amazing. It’s beautiful and sad, touching and very funny. Full of absurd little references, intimacy and humanity. I f’ing love it.

And it deserves more than a handful of hours of rehearsal and a few empty chairs and some props. It deserves a park bench. In a park. With 3 or 4 weeks to rehearse and delve as deep as possible into two amazing characters. And I hope that people come to the reading. And I hope they laugh and are moved and just fall in love with the piece. And I hope that someday it gets a full production somewhere. Preferably a free, touring show outside in the parks. Ahhh…olden times.

I must say that it has been a treat to work with Vovosan on another park bench play over 7 years after the first one. To direct Mally after first working with her almost 10 years ago. And to work with Faye, whose work I had never seen and who has literally blown me away with her talent and commitment to the project.

So come see it, ok?

_______________________________

CPT presents:

LITTLE BOX
Staged readings of new work by 9 local writers

As part of CPT’s commitment to local playwrights and producers, CPT presents Little Box, a series of staged readings. Little Box is modeled after CPT’s successful Big [BOX] Series but on a smaller scale, designed to foster works at an earlier stage of development. 9 plays will presented as staged readings over two weekends.

Premiere Performances

Tickets only $8 General Admission, $5 Students and Seniors

Becomes You by Greg Vovos
Directed by Mindy Childress Herman
Featuring Faye Hargate and Molly McGinnis*
Friday, November 9th
7:30pm

Two strangers at the breaking point of their lives meet at a park bench. Mary, a woman near forty, goes to the park in search of privacy at a time when she is at the absolute breaking point of her life. She considers taking a bottle of pills but stops when she is interrupted by Valerie, a teenager who refuses to leave her alone, no matter how much Mary pleads. What ensues is a territorial battle along the lines of Albee’s Zoo Story that is settled when Veronica pulls out a gun. But how much can a woman with infertility problems and a teenager contemplating abortion share? Lives are at stake as a young woman tries to elicit advice from a woman who refuses to give it.

*Member, Actors’ Equity Association

_______________________________

Click here to hear community meeting with the announcement:

http://antiochians.org/forum/viewtopic.php?id=21995

I decided. I am going to do it. I keep wanting to participate every year but there is always some reason why I don’t. Generally, it’s because I am working full-time and then rehearsing in the evenings or else there are shows to work or things to do. But I have a feeling this is going to be a generally quiet November, so I might as well give it a go!

Cleveland Free Times
Volume 15, Issue 24
Published October 17th, 2007
Theatrical Appetizers
CPT’s Festival of 10-Minute Plays
By Keith A. Joseph

Attention please

It would count as shameless hyperbole to label Cleveland Public Theatre’s opener a blazing theatrical triumph. Yet, ironically, it does italicize the snappy wink implied in its title, AtTENtion Span. For this titular attribute is the one skill not required of its audience.

And that is what makes it such an engagingly breezy evening. The structure of eight mini-playlets manages to let everyone off the proverbial hook. There’s no need for continuing brilliance or that bugaboo of cutting-edge theater: coherence.

Each of the eight playwrights is only responsible for one compelling notion, minus the Sisyphean effort of sustaining it. With each endeavor lasting approximately 10 minutes, the misfires are no more annoying than mosquito bites, and the winners have the refreshing brevity of a well-executed burlesque sketch.

One of the joys of the evening is the opportunity to watch various directors and performers emulate quick-sketch artists, creating idiosyncratic, miniature universes in a flash. The subjects here range from the shoals of zombie courtship, to cerebral lesbian eroticism, to the perils of Internet dating, and effectively culminate on a black comic note in a small gem that toys with suicide as a trendy party game.

An interesting aspect of this type of compilation is that it demonstrates what influences are prevalently affecting today’s writers. Ironically, the most delightful piece derives not from a playwright, but a cartoonist. Steve Strangio’s My Date With a Zombie is a loving nod to the charming ghoulishness of Charles Addams’ celebrated family. In this frothy bauble, we see the tribulations of mixed dating, when an ardent Morticia-like zombie, played with macabre zest by Saidah Mitchell, tries to woo a nice, regular human at an haute cuisine zombie restaurant. Among the playlet’s many superb gags are finger-food made of fingers and Ryan Smith as a talking entree suggesting which of his parts would be tastiest.

On the other side of the theatrical universe, doing a variation on Neil LaBute’s misanthropic view of the battle of the sexes, we have Steven Korbar’s Blind Man’s Bluff, in which a literally blind man lures a girl to a date using the photo of a fashion model. In this well-realized dyspeptic take on human relationships, we find the deceived girl to be ultimately more handicapped than her pursuer. This dramatic obituary of hope and trust is skillfully directed by Mindy Childress Herman to mirror on a small scale the further collapse of Western civilization.

Of the remaining entries, the most successful are those that aim for satire - such as Jayme McGhan’s digest lesbian sex farce. Those that attempt straightforward seriousness tend to trip over their own metaphoric feet. Notwithstanding which, two of the evening’s unalloyed bonuses are its introduction of a plethora of fresh talent and a new remedy to keep audiences awake by having them reposition their chairs after each selection.

Cool Cleveland:

AtTENtion Span @ CPT 10/12
Short, sweet, & hot: This year’s 10-minute play festival, coproduced with TITLEWave, has a crackerjack ensemble and smart direction. Two script standouts, both of them offbeat romances, make it worth taking the trip to CPT. Mike Geither’s hauntingly funny & original Make Yourself Plain has shy Felicita Sanchez and manic Shawn Galligan making a halting connection via photocopying their own body parts in an office duplicator. And the spectacularly funny and sexy Find Mucking has Sarah Kunchik and Margi Herwald Zittelli getting progressively hotter using philosophical tomes as their sex toys.
Caveats: The plays themselves are of varying quality – they range from engaging to one-joke sitcom or pretentious – but the cast is able enough to consistently soar above it, making for an entertaining evening.
Details: Cleveland Public Theatre, http://www.cptonline.org.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Linda Eisenstein

Eight Quickies
If you like it short, sweet, and offbeat, AtTENtion Span may be for you.
By Christine Howey
Published: October 17, 2007

AtTENtion Span: A Festival of 10-Minute Plays

Through October 27 at the Cleveland Public Theatre, 6415 Detroit Avenue, 216-631-2727.

The difference between a full-length play and a sketch is roughly comparable to that between having sex and masturbating. Each can be satisfying in its own way, but real plays and shared sex have much deeper resonances, last longer (with any luck), and don’t contribute to carpal tunnel syndrome.

So when the Cleveland Public Theatre billboards its current production as AtTENtion Span: A Festival of 10-Minute Plays, you can certainly quibble with the terminology. There’s no such thing as a 10-minute play. But the best comedy sketches can be small works of art in their own right, as proven by Elaine May and Mike Nichols, Monty Python, and the rest. In this series of eight comedic skits, a couple of efforts aspire to those heights. Overall, while they vary in accessibility and wit, the bits are performed with infectious energy by the CPT cast — even when the writing doesn’t deserve it.

In the opening “My Date With a Zombie,” Saidah Mitchell is a sexy undead chick who puts the rigor in rigor mortis. She visits a zombie café with a normal fellow played by Tom Kondilas, and they seem to hit it off until a barely breathing human entrée is flopped onto their table. Written by Steve Strangio, the jokes are predictable (actual finger food for appetizers, etc.), and there’s no punchy ending, but the actors and director Christopher Johnston sweep us up in their spot-on portrayals.

“Blind Man’s Bluff,” directed with simple clarity by Mindy Childress Herman, features a svelte young woman (Sarah Kunchik) who is waiting for her blind date. The man (Derek Koger) eventually arrives, white cane in hand. Author Steven Korbar comes up with some cute lines (the woman ruefully observes she should have been tipped off by her date’s e-mail address, “eternaldarkness@hotmail.com"). But she resists his advances, even when he notes that blind men have a reputed talent for cunnilingus.

In the most successful effort of the evening, “Find Mucking” by Jamie McGhan, Kunchik and Margi Herwald Zitelli play college women who are lustily attracted to all manner of intellectual arcana, not to mention each other. Ping-ponging obscure concepts, from the intricacies of oxidation to remote literary references, the gals engage in kinky sexual horseplay as their temporal lobes flush and swell. Director Greg Vovos keeps the pacing so taut, none of the sexual or comedic tension goes limp for even a second.

Less entertaining are sketches with promising premises that just don’t develop. Mike Geither’s “Make Yourself Plain” posits an office environment where two workers (Felicita Sanchez and Shawn Galligan) are busy xeroxing their faces and body parts while intoning a sacred chant. The idea of a copy machine as God is interesting, but the script veers off course as the young man begins fantasizing that he’s a warrior/hero/lover of olden days. Perhaps these different threads could have been pulled together in a longer piece, but director Jaime Bouvier can’t quite manage it here.

“Henry and Louise and Henri” falls short in a different way, by taking a clichéd situation — the ugly American tourist in a French restaurant — and bringing little that’s new to the table. Most of the audience could write funnier lines than author Kathleen Cahill comes up with here, which in the end hangs director Vovos out to dry.

At the bottom of the barrel are “Antarctica (purity)” and “In the Cool, Cool, Cool,” each abstract and irritating. The former, a humorless exercise by Anton Dudley, features a postman who, while delivering a package to a couple, shares a homoerotic fantasy connected to nothing. The package contains only a piece of ice from Antarctica (it’s a symbol, apparently; if you don’t get it, don’t feel bad). In “Cool,” writer Peter Papadopoulos leads us through a surgical procedure in which the patient dies — and almost kills the evening in the process.

The entire show, as produced by Greg Vovos, is staged in different areas of the theater, with audience members instructed where to point their plastic chairs for each scene. This seat shuffling is gratuitous, since virtually all the “plays” could have been performed in one place. But this periodic rearrangement keeps everyone awake, if not necessarily enlivened.

The final sketch, “Scream,” happens high in the balcony of the theater, and it actually makes use of that location. Here, author/director Vovos has imagined a literally drop-dead party for happy fatalists, but the running gag gets tired, and the takeaway (the media, like roaches, always survive) is pretty ho-hum.

All in all, AtTENtion Span is as momentarily diverting as a brisk round of Whack the Weasel. But it can’t hold a candle to the real thing.

So, I am kind of stoked….

My job, you know…CPT…won Best Theatre Company of the Year in Scene Magazine and Best Theatre Company of the Year in The Free Times.

Not too shabby.

My show opened in preview tonight with a small, appreciative audience of about 50. I am excited for the official opening night tomorrow, and interested in hearing The Husband’s opinion. Then, I am VERY excited about not seeing the show for the first time in weeks and possibly hanging out with the chitlins on Saturday.

Ok…so I was catching up on my Britney Spears post-custody madness gossip. Sue me. She changed outfits 37 times yesterday after losing her kids and before checking into some hotel in Beverly Hills.

WTF? If that happened to me, I think I would hide away and wear the same damn pair of pajamas all day.

Oh well….

Those are my deep thoughts for the day.

Cleveland Public Theatre presents:

At-TEN-tion Span: A Festival of 10-Minute Plays

Curated by Greg Vovos
Gordon Square Theatre
October 11 – October 27
(Preview October 11)

Can a story be told in only 10 minutes? Only time will tell. A series of 10-minute plays curated by Greg Vovos take over the Gordon Square Theatre. Featuring works by local and national writers, At-TEN-tion Span is sure to take hold of you for the duration of the evening! These works take theatrical risks to explore politics, relationships, academia, personal awakenings and zombies! And the next piece is only moments away!

Premiere Performances

Featuring works by Kathleen Cahill, Anton Dudley, Mike Geither, Steven Korbar, Jayme McGhan, Peter Papadopoulos, Steve Strangio and Greg Vovos

Directed by Jaime Bouvier, Fred Gloor, Mindy Childress Herman, Christopher Johnston and Greg Vovos.

Featuring Shawn Galligan, Derek Koger, Tom Kondilas, Sarah Kunchik, Teresa McDonough, Lynna Metrisin, Joe Milan, Saidah Mitchell, Amy Pawlukiewicz, Felicita Sanchez, Ryan Smith, Dennis Sullivan and Margi Herwald Zitelli

Set and Lighting Design: Curtis L. Young
Costume Design: Craig Tucker
Properties Design: Elizzabeth Schirros
Sound Design: James Kosmatka
Stage Manager: Dan Kilbane

Showtimes: Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8:00pm, Sundays at 3:00pm
Tickets: $18 General Admission | $15 Students and Seniors | $10 Thursdays

Click here to purchase tickets!

For more information or to purchase tickets over the phone, please call 216.631.2727 x 501.

Or just got back from one. Or getting ready to go on one. I was at work again today for something like the 37,963rd day in a row. Actually…not true. I missed a day in there somewhere.

I am aching for a vacation. Preferably outdoors in upstate New York or a boozy beach resort or, oh, I don’t know, Paris. Or something across several time zones and preferably an ocean.

Alas, it ain’t gonna happen anytime soon. Hopefully Florida in November to see bro and sis-in-law and the nieces and Alexander the Great. But even that can’t come soon enough.

In other news, I open a show on the 12th, my house is totally spotless and I just cooked a delicious dinner. Which will also be lunch. For days.

And now….back to reading “But Enough About Me,” drinking a cup of delightful herbal tea and trying not to smoke cigarettes.

You will please, pretty, pretty, please, vote for CPT!

Please click here, register, and vote for CPT as the Best Theatre Group in the My Fox Cleveland Hot List contest.

Please forward the link to anyone you know who loves coming to CPT!

Thanks!

I am tired and will be heading to bed in a few minutes… But I plan on writing a “big old post” tomorrow that will include details of the last few weeks, including tales of late-night bonfires and conversation, quality time with the nieces, tales of adventure in the Big Apple, sunburned stories from the Atlantic Ocean and much, much more.

For now, however, it is bedtime for this girl.

I am having the greatest summer. Seriously. It is entirely too much fun.

Late last week was a flurry of bike riding – Wednesday night in the neighborhood, where we sat outside at Mitchell’s, had a few drinks, watched some volleyball and chatting with fun people. Afterwards, we rode up to the Loco Leprechaun for dinner. Dinner was quite yummy but the westside, suburban, meat market, bad music blaring, golden tee overload, mirrors and neon and oh so cheesy decor was a bit much. So I don’t think we will be going there again!

Thursday after work we took a nice long bike ride. Through River and into Lakewood down my favorite side streets, Lake and Edgewater. Stopped at Lakewood Park briefly and I ran into Big Mama and Jen and a few other NWT folks which was a very pleasant and loverly surprise. Stopped at Sullivan’s (I’d never been there before) for a quick drink before hopping back on the bikes and making our way to Around the Corner for dinner on the patio.

Friday after work I headed out east to a hotel in Aurora where my sister and the kids were staying the night and enjoying the pools and hot tub. The kids were adorable in the water, and I can’t wait to have them over this weekend for some more swimming. I wish I had had my suit with me so I could have jumped right in! I left the hotel and stopped by my folks for a bit before heading to The Kirtland Tavern to meet Lizzy and Andy B and his mom for dinner. Andy B left for his show and it turned into a girl’s night out, which was great fun. We were silly and giggly and a bit lubed up for the show.

Barrymore was amazing. It was so damn funny. Andy B and Mitchell were both wonderful and the 3 of us ladies laughed hysterically throughout the whole show. Except, you know, for when it was serious and you weren’t supposed to laugh. Post-show, Lizzy and Andy B and I headed over to Lolita for some oysters and a few drinks. Husband joined us and we had much fun before heading home fairly late.

Saturday, husband and I headed over to the east side to attend the Cain Park Arts Festival. So. Much. Fun. I used to go every year when Drew did a live remote from the event, but I hadn’t been there for something like 4 or 5 years. It was a beautiful day, husband had never been to Cain Park before, we saw some amazing art and I took biz cards from several of the artists whose work we fell in love with but aren’t ready to buy just yet. I ran into Carl and TIMMY TIM (the Original) and Erin, ate morrocan meatballs from Uptowne, listened to some old timey dixieland type band and just wandered around for a few hours.

We left and took the long way home, meandering through downtown and the flats, watching folks set-up their tailgating for the Kenny Chesney concert. At 3:00pm, driving through downtown, you’d have thought we lived in the middle of Wyoming for all the cowboy hats and blue jeans. Wild.

Saturday afternoon and early evening was spent poolside, drinking pitchers of delicious mojito’s and gabbing away. Pleasantly tipsy and a little bit pink from the sun, retired inside to try and decide where to go to eat some food to try and absorb all of that rum. Husband completely suprised me by ordering a cab and making a late reservation for dinner at White Oaks. You know, like one of my all time favorite restaurants, usually reserved for special occassions or dates with other couples.

It was fabulous! Amazing scallops, the most delicious escargots ever (which, of course, required the telling of the jendodds Florent escargots experience – “Madge, I soaked in it!"), a martini, a bottle of white, the most amazing bottle of red and my fave, Beef Wellington. After dinner, more than a bit tipsy, we tried to get a cab. Thanks to the Police/Kenny Chesny madness downtown, we were told there was a 2-hour wait. Fortunately, the totally rad bartender at White Oaks was going to meet friends at the Rocky River Brewing Company, so she gave us a ride home. We ended up sitting outside in the rain and talking until almost 4:00am.

Yesterday, we slept through church and went in search of the Sunday New York Times and brunch. Found The Times, had a harder time with brunch. Ended up at The West End for mimosa’s and frittatas and a long leisurely brunch with the papers spread out between us. Went home and ended up poolside for a few more hours. Reading, listening to music, talking and much forbidden horseplay in the pool. Talked to our neighbors and just relaxed. It was absolutely perfect. Ordered a pizza for dinner, lazed around the house and attempted to aid husband in dealing with his crazy sunburn. The poor guy looks like a lobster. Later this week we are heading to Catawba to celebrate my father-in-laws birthday, spend some time with the family, tool around the islands on our bikes and swim in the lake.

I need a vacation from my vacation. I hate that expression, but it is true!

Vacay started on Wednesday, when husband and I went to Lakewood to march in the 4th of July parade, which was great fun. Saw family, friends and neighbors on the sidelines and got some nice exercise in the process! Afterwards, we went to The Place to Be in Lakewood for omelettes and then home for some relaxation for a few hours.

Another young married couple that we often vacation with came into town for 5 days. We have spent time with them in Connecticut, New York, England and Florida and were excited to host them and show them all the good stuff that Cleveland has to offer. We started the festivites with some drinks on the porch before heading to my sister-in-law’s house in Lakewood for a 4th of July party. She lives just a few blocks from Lakewood Park and the fireworks are beautiful from the comfort of her backyard, surrounded by great friends and family.

Thursday morning we woke up early and headed to catch the Jet Express to Put-in-Bay. It was a beautiful day and perfect for tooling around the island in a golf cart, seafood lunch lakeside, wading into the water at South Bass State Park. The highlight, of course, was a tour of the winery and THE WORLD’S LARGEST GEODE followed by a glass of the worst wine I have ever had the joy of drinking. Much laughter and general goofiness ensued. Weathered a brief rainshower sitting on the covered patio at The Roundhouse, followed by a trip to Perry’s Monument and dinner at Mossback.

Left the island and headed straight downtown for the orchestra and fireworks. The orchestra put on a very weird show, we drank a bottle of very good wine, ran into DK who shared a glass, and then left when the wind picked up and the fireworks were cancelled. Headed home for the first time in 13 hours and crashed.

Friday morning we took a long drive through the west side and headed to Little Italy for coffee and pastries in the sun. Drove over to Lakeview Cemetery and explored Garfield Monument. Our guests were floored and we had a great “tour guide” who filled us up with all you’d ever need to know about Garfield. We left the cemetery and took a very long drive out into the country, to Troy Township in Geauga County where we rented a few canoes and spent several long, lazy, hot hours paddling up and down the Upper Arm of the Cuyahoga River. Saw a gorgeous, regal Blue Heron, got stuck in an obstacle course of fallen trees in shallow water and had a wonderful time. Returned the canoes and headed even further out of town to Mesopotamia in Trumbull County for a drive through Amish Country. One of our guests is British, the other from Connecticut and neither had ever seen the Amish so it w as a bit of a thrill. Parked in the heart of town and spent a few hours exploring the Ox Roast, complete with fried onions, handmade ice cream and, you know, Ox.

Headed back home to chill for a few hours. Got all gussied up and hopped in a cab down to Tremont. Had a stiff drink at The Flying Monkey and then wandered down the street to meet Andy B and Lizzy at Lolita. Many fab martinis with champagne, delicious wine, dozens of oysters on the half shell, a few dozen mussels, kobe burgers, macaroni and cheese and flatbread. Ugh. Decadent and wonderful. Exhausted after another 16 day, we all crashed pretty hard.

Saturday morning was significantly laid back. Spent some time poolside and got ready for a pool party. Our first one and it was pretty great if I may say so myself. Had about 12 people over for burgers and brats and beer. Cornhole in the sun with old friends and new. Ended the party with 90 minutes of everyone in the pool, playing with forbidden beach toys and entirely too much horseplay. Also, too many interrogators in the pool. The ratio of Jesuit army men to artsy ladies was definitely off.

Cleared out around 9:00pm and headed en masse to The Swinging Door. Had a few rounds of drinks and enjoyed several games of old skool wooden bowling. Came home and the 6 of us that remained played a spirited game of Trivial Pursuit late into the night.

Sunday morning was a few more hours of chilling out at the pool before going over to my in-law’s for a lazy, long, decadent brunch – homemade hummus, ceviche, bruschetta, fried perch from the lake, rice, pie, coffee, limoncello, homemade sangria. Fantastic.

Last night after we dropped our vacation friends off at the airport, we came home and crashed pretty hard. Pumped up the A/C and vegged on the couch. Then sat on the porch and talked until entirely too late.

Yeah…vacation from vacation sure would be nice! In other news, I am now, I think, as tan as I have ever been. Or at least more tan than I have been in a while….

To go to reunion or not to go…. That, my dear friends, is the question. I have spent hours and hours and hours over the last week reading the alumni list serve and the Save Antioch. Save the World. posts. And spent an hour or two sitting outside, talking about all of this with the husband the other night. Just got off the phone with Brent. Have emailed back and forth with Antiochians I hadn’t heard from in a decade.

It’s madness. And it’s sadness. For those of you that haven’t seen it yet, this letter from the faculty, written by Dimi Reber (Dance Prof) is pretty intense. It’s going to be very interesting to see what comes out of reunion this weekend. Attendance figs for reunion have apparently jumped from 250 to almost 1,000. Yowzers.

June 19, 2007

Statement

The faculty of Antioch College wish to share their perspective on the closing of the College. I am an Emerita faculty member speaking at their request because current faculty are in a position of great vulnerability at this time, no longer protected by tenure. The narrative supplied by the Board of Trustees contains important omissions, questionable assumptions and misrepresentations.

We are providing an alternative to that narrative because our dignity as faculty is at stake as is the preservation of tenure as a principle and as a promise, and Antioch’s current and historic definition is hanging in the balance. The College’s considerable assets are at risk and our sense of justice is offended as decades long practices of governance and decision making have been ignored.

Antioch College has been in financial crisis since its inception. Ironically, several years ago the Board imposed a drastic curricular revision, the Renewal Plan, on the College at a point when the enrollment had actually been increasing. The College articulated some of the many challenges it faced in its Strategic Plan of 1997 but the overall shape of the curriculum was not the central problem, nor was it perceived as a problem by the NCA in a recent accreditation review.

The Board’s imposed Renewal Plan was disastrous in terms of admissions and retention. The student body plunged from 650 to 300 in two years despite faculty’s considerable efforts to make the Plan work. The Board mandated the change with great speed scarcely giving time for the faculty to develop courses and consider the profound implications of the changes, much less market them. At that time they promised 5 years of financial support to see the College through the Plan’s implementation.

In brief, the Board risked the College’s well-being with the imposition of an ill-considered Plan, failed to provide promised support, and then closed the College. To make matters worse the Renewal Plan and the College’s deepest financial difficulties overlapped with the Board’s authorization of a new building for Antioch McGregor, a branch of Antioch University which had previously shared a campus with the College in Yellow Springs. At the time of its greatest need the College’s borrowing capacity was seriously constrained and it was the College’s assets that provided much of the collateral for the extensive borrowing necessary to develop the new McGregor building. How is it that given their role in creating the College’s grave difficulties the Board did not take responsibility to raise additional funds, consider the College President’s plan to merge the College and McGregor, or consider liquidating part of the College’s endowment?

We must ask who benefits from this? What is Antioch University without the College? The College is the only one of the University’s branches with tenured faculty, a unionized staff and self governance. What of Antioch’s identity do they care about preserving? If they can’t raise funds now, how can they start from scratch four years from now with abandoned buildings and an entirely new faculty and student body to recruit? What will become of the abandoned employers in the Cooperative Education program, Antioch’s mark of distinction ? How financially healthy are the other campuses of Antioch University - has the College become a convenient scapegoat? Again we need to ask who benefits from this? In fact, the University stands to receive all the College’s assets - the Glen (a 900 acre nature preserve), the library, the endowment, the buildings, the land, the legacy of Antioch.

Can the Board and University administration which conducted their review of the College’s recent situation in secrecy, in violation of our governance policies, without consulting faculty and staff who stand to lose their livelihoods and professions, be trusted with the College’s current assets, its legacy and its future? We might further ask what is the Board’s responsibility to the town of Yellow Springs? The loss of income to a small town where Antioch is one of the major employers, the disappearance of an intellectual and cultural center, the abandonment of land and buildings are all terrible blows.

The faculty will be exploring legal action to stop the College’s closing and preserve tenure and the college’s assets. We seek the support of alumni in this endeavor.

Dimi Reber

I can’t believe that Antioch is closing. There is so much that I want to say about it and just how much it saddens me, but I can’t seem to put what I am feeling into words, even though I am trying and have been since I heard the news yesterday at 2:00pm.

I loved Antioch. I know it isn’t what it was when I was there and that it never will be again. But I loved my on-campus semesters, my co-ops, the life I led when I was there, the amazing experiences and most of all, the wonderful friendships I made. I left Antioch a smarter, more confident, out-going person thanks to my entire Antioch experience.

I’m glad I made a stop to visit the campus in March. Because unless we alums band together to try and save the college, I don’t think I will be going back to Yellow Springs anytime soon. I wonder what this will mean to the town and its businesses. I’m sure Yellow Springs will thrive even without the college. I feel for the 160+ employees who found out yesterday, without any advance warning, that they were soone to be unemployed.

Reunion is next weekend and I wasn’t planning on going. But maybe I should. I have never attended Reunion and now it looks like I never will. I am just so frustrated and sad….I will, however, be able to experience a mini-reunion of sorts tomorrow when I go out with Steve and Renee to see the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus. There is some comfort in knowing that we can all mourn the loss together with the help of several adult beverages.

There is more to say and I am sure I will find the words eventually.

So I am now with less teeth in my mouth than I had yesterday at this time. And I am now with intense pain, vicodin and overall loopy craziness from the pain, pressure, drugs and lack of food.

Party!

For some reason, I forgot all about what it’s like when wisdom teeth are pulled. The last time it happened, I stopped at the dentist for a normal check-up one afternoon. And I was informed that 2 of them had to come out then and there. I remember having a dinner party scheduled at the Great Eastern for my siblings and some friends and having to cancel as soon as I left the chair.

But for some reason I forgot all about the pain that accompanied having them removed and replaced it instead with memories of milkshakes and relaxing and taking a few days off at The Great Eastern.

Now, I think I would prefer the toothache to this craziness. I just hope all is good in time for me to attend the Just Art opening at Asterisk tomorrow night. I’ve been stoked about that for a few months and I will be pissed if I am too out of it, in pain or anything else to make it.

I am tired and in a bit of pain. I’m 32 years old, yet it looks as though my 4th (and better be final, damn you) wisdom tooth has decided to arrive at a most unfortunate time. A dentist appointment will hopefully take care of the problem tomorrow. Which is good, as that will give me an excuse to take quality painkillers, have popsicles and smoothies and, you know, STOP THE PAIN.

I freaking hate the dentist, though. So I always freak out a little before my dentist appointments. And I am going to a new one. Not the old eastside dentist I have gone to for the past several years. But a new westside one as that seems to be where I will be living and working for quite some time.

I’ve now been at my job (not literally, more like anniversarily (yeah, I made that up)) for 369 days. Pretty rad.

My dad had surgery last week and was in the hospital for a few days. Pretty scary, but I stopped by my folks’ earlier tonight after my meeting with Don ended and he is doing so much better. So that is a relief.

Weekend was amazing and full of summertime goodness. Thursday and Friday, I saw Two-Headed at CPT. It’s really a fantastic show and y’all should really see it. 2 of the most amazing performances of the year, in my opinion. After Friday’s performance, Drew, Curtis, Amy P and I went up to the Rush, to be met later by the cast of Frozen. It was great fun and nice to spend some time with theatre folks I hadn’t seen in ages.

Saturday was freaking amazing fun! Started with husband’s 15-year reunion at St. Ignatius which was lovely. Had some drinks and some nibbles and got inside the hallowed halls of Ignatius for the first time ever. Living in Ohio City for almost 8 years, Ignatius was always, in some ways, the core of the neighborhood, but completely out-of-bounds. It almost acts as the college in a small college town outside of a major city. But it’s not a college – it’s an all boys catholic high school. There isn’t the accessibility and openness that you’d find from a university campus. It’s a bit forbidden – living in the hood for as many years as I did – the last 3 right across the street – I was able to watch band practices, lacrosse matches, soccer and football and track practices. I heard the bells chime, the students took my parking spaces and I’ve had friends from Near West Theatre attend. But I’d never been inside any of the buildings.

The architecture was amazing. Kind of like what I imagined it to be, although more modern than I had hoped. I guess I washoping for more of an “ivy” feel. Classic and antiquey and lots and lots of wood polished with Murphy’s oil soap. I did love how you could see the old elements, mixed with the 50’s stylings, a few touches of mid-70’s and the more modernized touches. Plus, the junior who led husband and I on the tour was charming, a touch geeky, smart, smart-assed and confident.

Following the reunion, we walked over to the patio of the Garage and had a few drinks before hopping in a cab and heading downtown to experience the Cavs game.

This post is entirely too long now. So my slightly hazy recap of the downtown experience Saturday night will have to wait. Along with the postings of pics and maybe some video if I can figure out how to do that.

Now, since I have to be at work at 7:00 tomorrow morning, I am going to try to wind down and hit the sack.

Later!

So far, it’s been a pretty wonderful weekend. If I may say so myself!

Friday was a wonderful, lazy day. Got a ton of work done in a few hours, skipped out for a tour of Battery Park with Andy B followed by the first ribs of summer in Berea for lunch. Back to work for a few more hours before heading home.

Sat outside with husband and had a few glasses of wine in the sun. Chatting and laughing and just being together. He left to go out with a friend and I played some online euchre in the twilight, watched the latest Sopranos and then headed up to the patio at Rocky River Brewing Company to meet Andy B for a little while to discuss said episode of Sopranos. Lizzy and some of her friends met us up there and I laughed my ass off for many hours. Husband and said friend were also at the brew pub so it was fun to periodically wander over to them and chat. Late night, we all headed up to the door for some bowling before I called it a night and walked home.

Yesterday I slept in for the first time in what felt like forever. Husband and I went out for pizza before deciding to buy a bird feeder and assorted supplies to hang it from the branch of the tree in front of our patio off of a 30′ branch. It was quite an experience and surprisingly, it all worked out just fine. Unfortunately, the birds don’t seem to have noticed the feeder just yet, but I know they will soon! Husband also bought me a little turtle (it’s fake – ceramic – but I love it!) and it currently lives in one of the plants on the deck.

Instead of going to a cook-out at the house of some friends last night, we spent the rainy, humid day in…watched 28 Days Later (which I loved) and The Squid and the Whale (which I also loved).

Getting ready to go to my Aunt and Uncle’s this afternoon for a party. Tomorrow, it’s swimming (weather dependent) and more ribs and Pat Benatar with Andy B and Lizzy and maybe Ronnie. I can’t wait!

Just an update of sorts, as I have been a VERY BAD BLOGGER! Life is moving along smoothly and things are great.

Had a huge benefit event this weekend at work that kept me busy with planning and coordination over the last several months. I think it was a success and mostly I am just glad it is over and I can get back to work on other projects. The event itself was quite fun. Shelly and husband and friends and I all helped set-up during the day and then enjoyed the party on Saturday night. Liz and Amy P and all sorts of other fun folks helped out, so the gang was all there. Even smartboy, the elder Nagin and Jfo made appearances. Had too many martinis, husband bought us a beautiful serigraph for a great price, got a $25 Momocho gift certificate for $20, laughed and talked and danced and had too much fun.

The event wrapped up around 10:30 or so and Andy B and Jfo and I headed to McNamara’s where we met by the rest of the gang. Then he and I ducked out and went over to MaryJo’s for some bonfire fun. It was the perfect stop in the evening. Sitting there with a cold beer, talking to Teebs and Sharrona, seeign fun NWT folks. Then back to McNamara’s, listening to the Urinetown soundtrack at full volume, before I called it a night.

The birthday was Tuesday and it was great fun. Took most of the day off of work which was a lovely treat to myself. A picnic with husband, several games of chess in the sun at the park, ice cream with the in-laws at Malley’s and then a lovely bottle of wine shared on the porch, talking and laughing and having a wonderful time. Even a very brief visit from the cops thanks to a faulty car alarm to top it all off!

Yesterday, I took the morning off of work to sleep in, sit outside in the sun reading the paper and enjoy a cup of coffee, generally just taking it easy. Got to work to find more birthday surprises, including the fact that my office computer died! Other than that, all was good. Went out with Andy B to continue the birthday celebration which was just about perfect. Sat outside, had a few glasses of wine, chatted and laughed and caught-up. And he got me seasons one and two of Ali G on DVD for the birthday! Fabulous! Husband and I watched one of them last night before bed.

In addition to the beautiful print (In the Distance by Arthur Secunda, picture below), I got many beautiful flowers, the promise of a hotel room in Canada in two weeks, a watch, a fabulous purse to inspire jealousy in one SanSlutty, a birthday tree (which is hysterical), gift cards, a necklace that made me cry, a magazine subscription that will be perfect for poolside reading this summer and lots of love and laughs.

So far, 32 is turning out to be a pretty good year!

Realizing how wonderful my friends are lately. And how lucky I am to have them all in my life.

This weekend, I will be able to squeeze in some good SanSlutty visiting time, some time with all of the fam for Mother’s Day and continued Birthday fun, a little Urinetown at NWT, a law school luncheon and tour and all sorts of fun in the sun.

Looking forward to it all! And especially excited about seeing Urinetown. I love me some NWT.

Our newest Brown…. And Shelly’s latest crush.

What in the hell is going on in these pics…?

I am sitting here waiting for the Chicken Cordon Bleu to come out of the oven; the strawberry tomato/fresh mozzarella/balsamic salad is chilling in the fridge; the bread is waiting to be warmed in the oven once the chicken comes out and the green beans are all waiting for their death by steam.

And yes, it is 3:45pm. We are getting ready to eat dinner. Terrifying.

In other news, went to Art Walk in Tremont last night with Andy B and Lizzy and some other folks. Had a drink at Edison’s and then a few more at the Literary. Borat was on TV. So fun to watch that movie with friends who hadn’t seen it and a cozy group of bar patrons on a chilly night with some yummy bourbon in front of me.

Husband was out of town for the last few days. Which sucked. But he is back from our nation’s capital with a stop in West by God. So we are going to eat our early bird special dinner now.

“What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.”

“Any reviewer who expresses rage and loathing for a novel is preposterous. He or she is like a person who has put on full armor and attacked a hot fudge sundae.”

“It’s a nice glass of champagne at the end of a life.”

Kurt Vonnegut dies.

“It’s a little play with all the big subjects in it.” - Thornton Wilder

CPT Executive Artistic Director Raymond Bobgan, known for his inventive revisionings of American classics, shakes the dust off of Our Town in this adventurous new production. With his characteristic style, Bobgan captures the heart of what it means to be a community and reverses the stereotypes of small town life. Reawaken the imagination with the poetry of performance, music and movement and discover the joys and sorrows of human existence in this timeless reflection on the fragility of life.

Our Town by Thornton Wilder
April 19 – May 12, 2007
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm
Sundays at 3:00pm

Tickets: $18 General Admission | $15 Students and Seniors | $10 Thursdays

Featuring:

Lauren Berger, Sheffia Randall Dooley*, Steven Hoffman, Len Lieber, Andrew Marikis, Brian McNally, Lynna Metrisin, Joe Milan, Rhoda Rosen, Chris Seibert, Bryan Ritchey, Doug Snyder, Darius Stubbs, Dennis Sullivan, Daniel Taylor, Elizabeth Wood, Dawn Youngs
* - Member, AEA

Director: Raymond Bobgan
Stage Manager: Eileen Arnold
Set & Lighting Designer: Trad A Burns
Costume Designer: Alison Garrigan
Assistant Stage Manager: Ben Karlin

Tickets onsale now! Buy online at www.cptonline.org or buy by phone at 216.631.2727.

I just received an incredibly sad voicemail message from a dear, old friend of mine. I think I am in shock.

Is it okay to drink bourbon at 11:00am? I could sure use some….

Whew. It’s been an insane few weeks. I don’t even know where to begin! I went to Phoenix for a few days earlier this month for an Arts Marketing conference. It was pretty spectacular. Interesting conference, hung out with some wonderful arts folks from theatres around the country, enjoying authentic mexican food and tried to take advantage of the 80 degree weather as much as possible.

Husband and I are trying to get our house in order and enjoy the brief glimpses of Spring that keep popping up. I am very excited that he’ll be starting law school in just a few short months, but anxious to spend as much time together as possible before it begins.

Yesterday, it was a roadtrip kind of day.

I went down to Columbus for the Governor’s Awards for the Arts luncheon. I love the drive down to Columbus though it always, always makes me think of jendodds.

The luncheon was fun – about 800 arts folks from the state were there, including more than I thought from our neck of the woods – community and pro theatres, visual artists and organizations, etc. Got to sit at a great table (at the last minute!) with the CPT gang and Linda and Bob which was a very pleasant surprise.

Took full advantage of the 70 plus degree weather and decided to head down to Antioch for a visit. First thing I noticed was that they put a stoplight in by Young’s and it was definitely a good idea. Much of Main St. is exactly the same with a few minor exceptions. Hadn’t seen the Eddie’s Drive-Thru into Peaches transformation so that was a new one. And there’s another new pizza place in town. That’s about it. Glad that some things never change.

The campus, on the other hand, was totally different and yet, somehow, still exactly the same. I parked in the lot by the Antioch Inn and started to walk toward the union. With it being the first warm day in forever, I expected to see students everywhere, but there were none out and about. The first person I saw, however, 20 feet away from my car, was Billy Joyce! (The only current Antioch student I actually know!) so that was pretty rad and weirdly coincidental. He took me on a full tour of campus.

They painted most of the second floor of the union and the dancespace a disgusting Pepto-Bismol pink and there is zero graffiti covering the walls. The halls all have keyless, fob/keycard type entry which is seriously messed up. I guess my 11D2 collection is seriously out-of-date now. Walked through North and was struck by how clean everything was (I mean, it’s still filthy, but you know, cleaner than it used to be). They removing the common rooms from the Birch halls and turned them into 3 rooms. Birch without those sprawling common rooms really isn’t Birch at all. They turned Birchspace into a pretty cool community kitchen, though.

Norment is a burned out shell of a building. I tried to take a pic but it didn’t work. Just a pile of ash with 1/2 a brick wall standing. How that isn’t covered in graffiti, I have no idea. Almost all of Mills is shut down and though I couldn’t tell, it looked like West was, too. There is no smoking in any of the dorms with the exception of Willet. Ecoustic Hookah is playing at Kelly Hall. The fishbowl has nothing in it but a beat-up couch.

The most striking thing is the total lack of President’s. Seeing them all gone with nothing in their place is disturbing to say the least.

Billy filled me in on the current state of things and I was alarmed to learn that last summer there were only 70 students on campus, and this semester there are only 200. No wonder it felt like a total ghosttown.

Headed over to the library to view the Joe Cali Memorial. Great stuff. Then I walked through town and headed home. After a snarl or 2 in traffic, I made it home safe and sound.

Husband and I had tentatively planned to eat a late dinner together when I got back. He surprised me by taking me out to Swingo’s.

Perfect as always. Shared dishes of tilapia and veal, had a manny and a loverly glass of wine, finished the meal with a decadent and delightful chocolate cake/mousse/raspberry coulis concoction. We were the only people there and we got the best seat in the house on a perfect, clear night. Husband washed the car while I was inside it which always makes me giggle.

Finished the night sitting on our stoop, drinking sambucca and chatting away until the wee hours.

All in all, a pretty perfect day.

____________

Today is the 3rd anniversary of Vickers’ passing. I am heading to the cemetery this afternoon/evening and will then meet some friends for some drinks in remembrance.

I miss her so much.

But she’s still with me in so very many ways. The fabulous Ms. DeCosta put it best 3 years ago:

It is with the deepest regret that we inform you that the Northern Ohio
Theatre Community has lost one of its brightest stars, Victoria
Karnafel Korkosz.

She is survived by her husband, Arthur Korkosz, a talented musician, who
often plays in the orchestra for Near West Theatre productions and at
The Hermit Club, her stepdaughters Elizabeth & Jessica Korkosz, her Mother Margaret
Karnafel, her brother Mark Karnafel, and Sissy the Dog.

From an email I received from my Aunts…

“A friend was watching the news this morning, caught this story where Metro Health Medical Center is in a contest with hospitals throughout the U.S. to receive a Fun Center from the Starlight Starbright Foundation for seriously ill children. All you need to do is click on the link below and choose Metro . Then send on to all your friends and families to help Metro win. I believe they are awarding 3 all together. We will know by April if Metro wins!!!

Click Here to Vote

I actually came to work today. Well, 90 minutes ago. And so far, so not good. I seriously feel like I am going to die. And my right arm and leg are both a bit numb and have been for the last 14 hours.

OMG does this whole sick thing suck. I really don’t think I have ever been this sick in my whole adult life.

I think I will be heading home in a bit. Must. sleep. more.

So I have the flu. Have for a few days now and really, it’s no fun. No fun at all. Chills, fever, sweating, congestion, headache, the whole deal.

So happy Mardi Gras to all of you. I had been hoping I would partake of some gumbo goodness and some bright pink cocktails tonight, but alas, it is not to be. Maybe some chicken soup and a popsicle instead. Paaaartayy!

Didn’t go to work today. I am actually still in my pajamas and have been working from home all day. Pretty nice, eh? Husband always works from home so it’s been nice to spend Valentine’s Day cozied up at home working and hanging out. I made blueberry muffins for breakfast, thought about trying to dig my car out of the intense snow drifts and even more intense snowplow drifts. Then I decided against it and came inside.

We’re planning on going to Niko’s for a lovely Valentine’s Day dinner tonight. They called to see if we were still planning on braving the snow to make our reservation and of course we are! My darling husband ran out to brush the snow off of our cars and came back with a dozen beautiful red roses. They are in my favorite red glass vase and look lovely. And he already gave me a beautiful bunch of red gerbera daisies! Unfortunately, his presents are in my office and since I didn’t go there today, he will have to wait until tomorrow….

I am reminded today of the crazy ice/snow storm that hit a few winters ago when I lived on Bridge. That day was crazy and wonderful. Started with the boss calling at 8:00am to tell me not to come in followed a few hours later by Shelly walking over. Perren, Shelly and I took shovels to the car and dug it out of the ice. Then she and I drove all over the ghetto looking for a shovel, had lunch and a few drinks, and lazed the day away. I talked to all of my neighbors that day, walked up to The Fulton for dinner and loved living in my neighborhood. Perfect Snow Day for Grown-ups. This one is just as great. These Snow Days should definitely happen more often!

That’s all. Happy Valentines Day to all of you!

Has arrived. Both mother and child are just fine and home (already!) from the hospital….

My nephew is going to be born anytime now! Woot! Woot!

Thankfully, my brother and sister-in-law vetoed naming him Phil even though he will be born on Groundhog Day.

UPDATE: 20 minutes ago I became an Aunt again! My as-yet-to-be-named nephew is happy and healthy and since my brother’s phone died, I don’t know what name they finally decided on. Rest assured it wasn’t Phil.

I have been writing for the last 2 hours and I really think that I am on to something good. It’s crazy how and when inspiration strikes…..

Last night, husband and I boarded the 55X bus from the station at the top of our street around 7:45. We arrived at E. 4th and Superior around 8:15. Other than some skeezik who hopped on for a 15 block ride down Clifton, we were the only people on the bus. Best way ever to get from Rocky River to downtown in a half hour. Read the WSJ and chatted and found the whole experience rather lovely.

E. 4th was packed – I still can’t believe I haven’t been to the new Lola yet – it looks so amazing from the outside! And there are always a million people pouring in and out of Pickwick – I wonder why? What is it they are all doing? Are comedy clubs really that popular? I don’t get it…. I like the martini lounge on the bottom floor but I can’t imagine that starts hopping until pretty late. Can anyone clue me in?

Went down to Flannery’s for dinner – poor folk’s surf and turf – amazingly delicious fish and chips and a solid burger were shared. Coupled with the most delicious manhattan I have had in awhile and some singer with guitar in the corner who serenaded our dinner with versions of Folsom Prison, Dead Flowers (love, love, love) and many more oldies but goodies.

Afterwards, we headed down to The Corner Alley for bowling and drinks for Lizzy’s Birthday (Celebrated). Yowzers. Hipster heaven. Complete with fabulous bowling balls in a rainbow of colors, beautiful, shiny, slippery lanes, dayglo pins, adorable and comfy bowling shoes which were surprisingly clean, loud clubby music blaring, and delightful martinis everywhere. No draft beer, ripped orange vinyl and hard blue plastic chairs here. Instead, each lane is equipped with soft, comfy couches perfect for sinking into between frames.

I’ll take the old Pepper Lanes anyday, but this was a welcome switch. Though it ain’t cheap – $35 an hour for a lane on the weekends ($4 during the week) and $3.00 for shoes. But the martinis were surprisingly cheap and delicious – less than $10. I think it’ll be a great place to take out of town folks or to head down to during the week, when, presumably, it isn’t as packed to the gills as it was last night.

We decided to forgo continuing the patry at McNamara’s and instead went over to the Arcade and sat on the couches in the lower level, chatting and chillaxing, until we walked back to E 4th and Superior and grabbed the bus back home!

Freezing cold half a block walk, but for $6 round-trip, no parking hassles, no taking a $25 cab ride because we’d certainly drank too much to drive home and no worries, it was worth it.

Tonight, husband and I are heading to Sterle’s for schnitzel and soup with some friends as part of the pre-celebration of the one year anniversary!

Stolen from Denise, via Eileen:

1 what is in the back seat of your car right now?
If you can believe this – absolutely nothing except a snowbrush/ice scraper thing

2. what was the last thing you threw up?
My husband made me drink lukewarm water with spirulina – as soon as I swallowed the first sip it was

3. what’s your favorite curse word?
the big f one

4. menthol or regular cigarettes?
Regular, please. Cowboy killers if you must.

5. what is your favorite episode of Friends?
I really don’t have one….

6. does anyone have any blackmail on you?
Oh hell yeah. Jendodds, Brent and Shelly could all make a pretty penny one day.

7. if you could marry any celebrity today who would it be?
Christopher Meloni at the moment.

8. have you been to a strip club?
About a gazillion times.

9. is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?
Yep! Several things!

10. are you wearing socks right now?
2 pairs of tights and a pair of socks under my combat boots – it gets really cold in my office

11. what was the last thing you drank?
coffee from Gypsy

12. what are you wearing right now?
a black shirt, turquoise scarf and black and white skirt with lace and crinoline around the edges

13. last food you ate?
a handful of cashews

14. have you bought any clothing items in the last week?
Surprisingly, no.

15. when is the last time you ran?
During my workout yesterday.

16. what’s the last sporting event you watched?
Oh god. I have no idea. It’s been a while. I watched the end of the New England game on Sunday.

17. last movie you saw?
At the theatre - Children of Men; at home – Little Miss Sunshine

18. who is the last person you sent a message to on myspace?
Denise.

19. ever go to camp?
Yep! 4-H camp, girl scout camp, some other camp.

20. ever been on honor roll?
Over a decade ago.

21. do you have a tan?
Not at the moment. But I might go to the tanning place just so I can get a little dose of warmth and sun.

22. how old do you want to be when you have kids?
Pretty damn soon! So 31 or 32

23. have you ever drank your soda from a straw?
This is a stupid question. Of course.

24. what is your age?
31

25. are you someone’s best friend?
I think so.

26. what are your siblings’ middle names?
Ann and Lee Roy

27. where is your dad right now?
I’m assuming he is at work, shoveling snow off of cars and not enjoying it.

28. what was the last thing you said?
“Can you run to Jakprints for me and pick up the order at the front desk?”

29. what color is your watch?
I don’t have a watch. I use my phone – which is silver and red.

30. what do you think of when you think of Australia?
Drew’s pictures from when he lived there.

31. ever ridden on a roller coaster?
A gazillion times. I gre up 5 miles from an amusement park.

32. favorite gemstones?
Hmmm…. That’s a toughie. I guess I don’t have any faves. Bring ‘em all on!

33. do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru?
Mostly I go in - I rarely do the fast food thing, but when I do, it’s usually a salad from McDonald’s for lunch. And then I go in, sit down and read the papers.

34. what is your favorite number?
5

35. do you have animals?
I think my husband counts as one.

36. what happened to you in 1993?
Damn. Scandalous year! Graduated high school, lived with a band in a beautiful old house in Cleveland Heights, had my first semester of college at Antioch.

37. 1996?
Lived in NYC withDavid the Smith, spent most of my time with Brent and in homeless shelters, drank very cheap beer, wandered through the city, listened to too much ska. Went back to school for a semester or two – most of which was spent in Units with Jendodds, Will, Renee, etc.

38. does your first memory involve your dad?
I think my first memory is being in the hospital with my dad and brother while my mother was giving birth to my sister, so yes!

39. biggest annoyance in your life right now?
being broke again

40. do you like watching a bonfire?
Love them - especially out at my parents’ house with my bro and sis and fam around the fire!

41. are you allergic to anything?
not that I know of!

42. favorite shoes that you wear all the time?
Black leather boots with a square heel.

43. what is one thing you’ve learned about relationships?
Just be honest and say what you are feeling from the get go. Don’t play silly little games.

44. are you jealous of anyone?
Not particularly.

45. is anyone jealous of you?
I seriously doubt that.

46. do you ever take medication to fall asleep?
Occassionally a Tylenol PM or something. Other than that, it’s bourbon!

47. what cd is in your stereo?
I don’t actually have a stereo, but currently in rotation in my car is GBV Volume II, Olu Dara’s “In The World,” the soundtrack to “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” Michelle Shocked’s reissue of “Short, Sharp, Shocked” - Disc One, and a couple of random mix CDs featuring jazz, Carly Simon, Samiam, broadway showtunes and Bruce Springsteen.

48. do you do your own dishes?
For the most part. We have a dishwasher and that does a lot of the work. I cook almost every night, so husband sometimes does the dishes. Because he’s nice like that.

49. would you date anyone covered in tattoos?
Probably. I can’t see why not. Assuming, of course, that I wasn’t married.

50. what is the correct way to end a first date?
Correct way? Is there such a thing?