Friday, April 20, 2007

Friday, April 20th

April seems to be a month of trouble - Hitler's birthday, Oklahoma City, Columbine and now Virginia Tech. Given the gutting of mental health services (led by many of the same people now all over the television deploring the current massacre) and the easy availability of guns in our culture, its surprising it doesn't actually happen more often. People seem to have forgotten that the second amendment was written at a time when the musket was state of the art weaponry. To kill with it required skill and discipline and acquiring those usually led to an understanding of when not to use it and who should not be let near one. I have a feeling the second amendment would have been written quite a bit differently if the founding fathers had had an inkling about semi-automatic assault weapons. But enough of the rant.

Politically Incorrect Cabaret closed its 2007 tri-state tour this last weekend in Atlanta. Small, but enthusiastic audience at the Horizons school, complete with llamas outside the stage door. I was really hoping one of them would wander onstage during the show so I could break into the Monty Python ''el llama es un quadrupedo" routine, but alas it was not to be. It's time to hang up the Ansager/emcee for a while. I will not miss the make-up. I auditioned for 'Cabaret', the show recently and got cast, not as the Emcee, but has Herr Schultz. Somehow I seem to have morphed into the old Jewish guy given this part and Lazar Wolf from earlier in the year. Should be fun though. I'm looking forward to the Pineapple song.

Archie the kitten has settled into the household. Highly rambunctious and inclined to pick up small items in his mouth and drag them around the house. My reading glasses are still missing although most other things have eventually turned up. Time for another trip to the Walgreens for magnifiers. In the last year, I have lost my ability to read small print at night or in dim light. Age catches up with us all I suppose. You'd think as a professional in aging, I could do something about it, but no....

Doing a murder mystery party that I donated to a charity auction for a private event this weekend. It should be fun. I think I have the plot working correctly but a lot will depend on my volunteers playing their parts correctly and not giving too much away to fast. It's an experiment. I'm hoping the guests will have several glasses of wine apiece and will love it.

Had an overnight to the Cincinatti airport this past Monday for a business meeting. Didn't get outside of the airport so don't ask me what I think of northern Kentucky. It may be a regular trip so I'll go up early one of these times and explore a bit. I have to go to the creationist museum they're building down the road to learn all about how Adam and Eve loaded the dinosaurs on the Ark of the Covenant or whatever.

Not much new on the work front. Been doing a bunch of local public speaking. I'm available for more glamorous destinations if anyone wants to hire me.

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Thursday, April 5th

I have become very, very bad at keeping this appropriately updated. What can I say? Things happen in life. Let's see, what's new? The family has expanded by one with the addition of a new kitten, Archie. Archie was in the adopt a cat room at the vet when we took Patrick and Shadow in for their annual. He's about six months old, a buff colored tabby but with a major strain of something else giving him very Egyptian cat ears, complete with little tufts of fur at the tips. The vet said he didn't like people but he was all over us; we decided it was fate and took him home. The three are getting along relatively well, although Patrick, as senior cat, is a bit offended by kitten hijinks and has to cuff Archie occasionally. (Patrick has also let us know his displeasure at the interruption of his routines by peeing on the bathroom rugs and escaping the house twice). He'll live.

Last week was a bit of a strange week. Made the usual West Virginia run over a couple of days. Lovely weather and a nice drive all the way up and back. The spring bloom has happened all at once due to the mild and warm winter so pollen everywhere and the seasonal allergies are in full force. Thank god for Claritin (300 tablets generic at Sam's Club for $12). We had some rain the last couple of days and it's finally starting to wash out of the area after everything being yellow for days. After getting back from that, had some back to back speaking engagements - one in Montgomery and one here in Birmingham. The Montgomery one, key note for the Alabama Gerontological Society, went exceptionally well. I don't often get a standing ovation for my musings on elder care but apparently I said the right things this time.

Auditioned for both 'Cabaret' and 'Evita' this past weekend. Got offered parts in both. Apparently I've morphed into an old Jewish man after Lazar as I've been offered Herr Schultz in Cabaret (no secret that I was after the Emcee). Offered a part as a general/soldier in Evita. I'm taking the lead in Cabaret over the Ensemble in Evita as it will be more interesting. Going to have to find someone to age me appropriately for Cabaret though as my Frau Schneider is a generation older than I.

This weekend, I have to break the back on a murder mystery I'm writing for a private party. Got it mapped out in my head, now need to put it on paper.