Jocks and Geeks

My oldest son, Eric, has many talents. I've chronicled some of his drama skills here before and the new picture is of him as "Haywood" the stagehand in our Bible School skits. He looks like a Filipino Erkle! Eric is also somewhat of a computer geek. He's loves his Mac notebook, making movies, editing movies, playing video games and basically hanging out on the computer.

Adam, on the other hand is more of the jock in the family. He loves EVERY sport and plays most of them well. He's at the tail end of a long baseball season where he played on the Jr. High team, a recreational team and is now on a tournament team. Now he's gearing up for soccer in the fall.

I guess they come by it honestly. Jose, their father, also loves sports and computers. One of his hobbies is photography (another of Jaki's prodigies). He has recently acquired Adobe Photoshop and is learning to manipulate his photos. The attached photos are two of his first attempts.

What a blessing to watch all this talent bloom.

I don't stink

As part of my efforts to "move" more, I played catch with Adam in the backyard. He was pleasantly surprised. He gave me some high praise, "Gee Mom, you don't stink." Does life get any better than that?

What cartoon character do you look like?

I can honestly say that I hadn't spent much time thinking about it, but the concept was abruptly thrust on me a couple of weeks ago. I was attending a birthday party for a friend, when a young girl, I'll say 4 or 5 years old, at the party zeroed in on me. She stared at me intently as she slowly approached. I recognized her from church, so in my mind, she was going to approach me and point out, correctly, that I do indeed go to her church. It happens a lot. Kids are fascinated when they recognize someone out of context.

On her first attempt, she weakly whispered something to me that I could not hear over the band. So I pulled her in closer and she shyly looked at me with these big brown serious eyes and said, "Are you Sponge Bob's teacher?" My friend, Rhonda, who was also sitting within earshot and had watched the odd transaction, immediately began splitting a gut. I was caught by surprise but managed to say, "You mean Mrs. Puff?" Her brown eyes stared as her head slowly nodded up and down. I replied, being the prankster that I am, "Yes, I am Mrs. Puff." But as she looked at me in awe and asked, "Really?" I couldn't hold the farce anymore. I reluctantly admitted that no, I was not Mrs. Puff, and with a disappointed flip of her head, she skipped back to the dance floor.

We were laughing so hard we had tears. Even funnier was that some people didn't even know who Mrs. Puff was and couldn't grasp the humor in the situation. Of course I must now weather the numerous Mrs. Puff jokes and with my oldest son approaching driving permit age, I don't imagine things will cool off anytime soon. You know, looking at the picture, I do see the resemblance; plumptuous form, big eyes and I do teach a lot. However, I also want to apologize to everyone if I have ever worn a skirt so short that my bottom showed!

Q stands for quirky

Most of you know that I love Broadway shows. The gang (Julie, Jaki, Kim, Mary) and I get season tickets and positively relish our adventures. The Sunday afternoon outings generally include some shopping, eating, jocking for position in the parking garage, the show, commentary and Starbucks on the way home. Sigh....perfection.



As a sidebar, I must confess that we have all confessed to feeling "so busy" that to actually go to the shows involves feelings of pressure, guilt, or feeling that we should be doing something "more important." But, once on the road, we all can vouch that it is worth every sacrifice to go and spend time with the girls.



To make a short story even longer, our ticket package this year included a show called Avenue Q. None of us had heard much about the show, but Anna, another Broadway babe who occasionally joins us, reported that she had heard something about pornographic puppets. I had trouble wrapping my mind around porn puppets, so I just decided to go with an open mind and hopefully be surprised. Unfortunately, as the time grew near, my Broadway babes started dropping like flys. All those obligations, family, work, school, came crashing down and before you know it, it's the day before the show and I'm the only one who can go! Not fun.



That was when I got an idea, good or bad, I couldn't say. I had always wanted my husband and children to enjoy Broadway shows with me, but I had been rejected countless times when I had extended the offer to accompany me to a show. But a pornographic puppet show? What would the neighbors say? I did a quick goggle search and read some reviews. Most felt that it was okay for teens. At ages 12 and 14, we were at the bottom end of the range. I decided to go for it. I used whatever leverage I had. I was days past my birthday, so I reveled in my role as a mother being the travel agent for guilt trips, and told my family that I would really love it if they went with me to the show to help celebrate my birthday. It worked, they all signed up.



I did a little pre-show prep, explaining that this was an adult theme show but I thought they were mature enough to handle it, which I'm sure helped them make up their minds to go willingly. How crazy is that. Promising teenage boys a show that may have some sex in it is like free ice cream at a weight watchers meeting: you know it's bad for you, but you want it so bad. As we entered the theater, I noticed a few teens, perhaps five or ten in the whole place. I was starting to question my judgement.



The show started and it was amazing from the first scene. The music was great, the storyline engaging and the acting incredible. I won't spoil it for you, but it's an adult version of Sesame Street. We laughed and laughed and ended up buying the soundtrack. The adult themes were there, but nothing more shocking than you see on TV every night. The boys thought the show was cool. We all had a fabulous time and I would recommend the show to anyone who has an open mind and a good sense of humor.



This week, we are off again, this time to the Color Purple. I've read the book and seen the movie, so I'm anxious to see how it comes off on stage. Along with the show, I'm looking forward to spending those precious moments with the Broadway babes. Husbands and kids are fun, but nothing beats a day with the babes.

The teacup doesn't fall far from the pot

My oldest son, Eric, played Chip the teacup in this past weekend's high school musical Beauty and the Beast. I was so proud watching him that I got that feeling that I wanted to cry, but I didn't.

It's not his first musical. He has been well-schooled at the Pekkala school of RVCC musicals. Plus, he seems to have a natural ability to perform. Someone told me that he has good projection and I told them that he came from a long line of projectors!

I know I should say that he gets his talent from God, as every good and perfect gift comes from Him, but I just see so much of myself in him that I can't help but take some credit. I'll give God most of it, but I have to save a little for myself. You see, when Eric was born and the Dr. handed me this scrawny little brown raisin with beady black eyes and a head full of black hair, I was a little shocked. He didn't look ANYTHING like me. Not one bit. As he grown, however, I discover daily that I'm on his inside. His mind, creativity, humor and yes, his ability to act.

Anyway, the performances were great, full of drama (like when the Beast's wig fell off). The cast and crew of the musical are such exceptional people. Eric had such a great time making new friends. The adults that pitched in are so eager to share their talents. It's just a great example of how folks can work together to make something amazing happen.

Beauty and the Beast is over, but Eric has scored a role in the upcoming drama "A Charming Proposal" by local play write Delmar Burkitt. I'll keep you all posted on the progress.

Torn

Lot's of blogging about the elections, so I thought I'd throw in my two cents. Of course there is no perfect canidate, so I end up torn. If only I could mesh all four major canidates together, I think I would like that person. The reality of the situation is that the President is just one person, but the political process in America is a multi-faceted exercise that is so checked and balanced that one person is not capable of any real change on their own. It's definately a group effort. I'm proud to be part of that effort.

I appreciate the political process in the US. I guess I have the unique experience of having lived through the political process in another country. I was in the Philippines (1982-1986) shortly after Marshall Law was lifted by President Ferdinand Marcos. Can you believe that a President can basically lock down a whole country? I don't think that would work here. An election was in order and Marcos' main rival, Benigno Aquino, was coming back from the United States to oppose him. He made it to the Manila Airport tarmac where he was murdered as he got off the plane. Unrest ensued with the event giving angry people a licence to plunder.

Aquino's daughter, Corizon, decided to come back to the PI and run in her father's stead in an amazing yellow people power parade. The elections were memorable. Marcos was in poor health, but that didn't stoop him from traveling the country building campaign stages for his performances. Peasants were brought in from the countryside to attend the rallies and I watched as one group, promised a t-shirt and a bag of rice each for their participation, overturned a bus when they didn't get their due.

Marcos won in a rigged election where armed guards and local mafia stand at the polls and intimidate voters. However, the people rebelled and stormed Malacanang Palace in Manila. The Americans came to the rescue and evacuated Imelda and Ferdinand Marcos to Hawaii where they spent their remaining years living in luxury while the Filipino people were left with thousands of pairs of shoes.

The Philippines is considered a democracy, but continues to be plagued with corruption of it's political leaders. There is continual political unrest in the streets with subsequent murders, tear gassing and bombings. Oh how mild our process seems in comparison. If perspective is everything, I guess I can say that I feel comfortable knowing that no matter who wins, America will still be the greatest country in the world.

Have a magical day

I just got back from a business trip to Disney World. I stayed at the Coronado Disney resort and conference center. The weather was beautiful, but I didn't get to enjoy much of it. I had to spend a good amount of time attending sessions and committee meetings.

The resort was huge. So big in fact that my room was 1/2 mile from the conference center. I hoofed it a couple of times before I discovered the bus service, slower but less sweaty.

The resort was EXPENSIVE. It was isolated and the only dining options, unless you had a rental car, were, you guessed it, on-site. With mandatory tips added into the bill, lunch for one easily approached $20.00. How do families afford to eat here?

The staff were pleasant. They ended every conversation with "Have a magical day." How's that for indoctrination? Actually, that's how I felt. I felt like I was in a huge money-making machine whose every corner was designed to shake another dime out of you. I'm surprised we weren't charged extra for the sunshine.

I've got to admit, I've never been an amusement park person. I equally dislike Kings Island and Cedar Point. I don't care for Las Vegas either. Everything just seems so fake to me. Take me canoeing on the Little Hocking River any day.

This isn't written to criticize people who love places like Disney. The fact of the matter is, I question what is wrong with me that I don't enjoy these places. Have I lost my ability to have fun? Why can't I overlook the little irritations and admire the good parts. Millions of people love these places, what's wrong with me?

The fact of the matter is that we are all different. Different strokes for different folks. I certainly wouldn't give up my season Broadway Series passes while others would consider that a snooze fest. I guess that kind of diversity is what makes the world go round.

I hope everyone has a magical day.