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The Wonders of Spontaenaity

. . . or how I managed to set the ball in motion for my first stage performance.

Yep.

You heard me.  I’m going to be on stage.  Next month(I think).

I attended the one year(and one month) anniversary show of The Dykes of Hazard Friday night.  It was a fantastic show full of laughs, as ever.

Partway through Kristen Becker cast for a call for action.  ”I need three volunteers. . .and I’m not going to tell you what for.”

It was like the teacher asking for a volunteer to read aloud in class or tackle the problem on the chalk board.  Everyone looked around.  No one moved.

My friends all nudged and encouraged me.  ”Go for it!” they prompted.

I rose.  Wove my way to the stage.  Grinned at Kristen and joined a line of three other women.

Yep.  Four of us.  It worked.

What we had to do was impersonate one a member of the DOH troupe.  The best one would be written into the next show.  The woman to my left, the first contestant, as it were, was Jenny Wilson’s mom.  And she drew her daughter’s name to impersonate.  Needless to say she got it dead on.

Then me.  I drew Becker.  Which made me start laughing right off the bat.  Apparently I nailed her well enough visually alone when I confiscated her top hat and beer bottle and walked out the the edge of the stage.  Thankfully, I didn’t have to come up with a joke on the fly!

Onward it went…the next two impersonating Karine Amato and Ava LaFey to the uproarious applause of the audience.

And we all did well enough that in the end it was announced that we would all be written into the shows!

It was only after I sat down that I realized just what I’d gotten myself into.

 

But it promises to be a ton of fun!

Out on the water

My second go at sailing was filled with drama.  I’m seeking a new organization through which to pursue lessons and will finish out this year’s Tuesday’s women’s sails, but likely will not continue with any further association with the Seven Seas Sailing school after an experience with the Director Tuesday evening that left me with more than a bitter taste in my mouth.  However. . .

Blue skies above, rippling water below, bow slicing through low waves, driven by sails full of a wind that picked up shortly before we took sail.  Main sail taut and sliced to starboard, shoving the boat along, parallel to the breakwall; jib bellied out over the bow, pulling in tandem.  Silent peaceful propulsion, no sound but wind over water and water against hull.

Eye the sky, the sliding sun, the distance back to dock.  Brace and loose the jibsheets, spin the wheel to port.  Feel the boat heel and slice through the water, wind spilling from the sails only to snap them full on the opposite side, a graceful dancer’s turn on the waves.

Race the setting sun, fly over the waves, aim for safe harbor.  Let the wind caress and pull the dregs of the day free to dash them into the water.  Let it all go, soar just over the lake, just be, just fly, just surrender to the perfection of the moment.

Maggie Casella – One Show Only

They say laughter is the best medicine and I have to say, I’m beginning to agree.

I spent last night challenging my mind to keep up with the lightning fast wit and delivery of Maggie Casella as she spun her way, and we, the audience, laughed our way through the evening.  Maggie ventured across the border from Toronto to spend the night regaling an audience at Babeville with her hysterical take on the world.  What a fantastic time!  For those unfamiliar with Maggie, Kristen Becker did a fantastic Q&A with her.

For more information on Maggie(and hopefully to find out when she’ll be coming back to Buffalo!) check out her Facebook profile for more information!

I didn’t exactly think ahead, but in the future I’ll try to post a heads up before the event, too!

The Dykes of Hazard

Oh. My. God.  I had an absolutely fantastic evening last night.  I laughed so much my stomach is tender this morning!

Through the connections I’m making in a local Meetup.com group I ended up at Babeville’s Ninth Ward watching the Dykes of Hazard Variety show last night.  What a fantastic time!  The venue was perfect, and an irreverent bit of me just adored that I was watching the DOH in a church basement.  It was a small, intimate experience; there’s nothing like being close enough that your offhand comments are snagged by the comedians and worked into their acts!

The DOH troupe had me in stitches through their entire show.  From the sketches to the standup, singing to dancing, it was a great time.  I wish my pictures had come out but my cell phone and I had some communication issues.  But, there’s no doubt I’ll be attending next month(so long as I’m in the country!).

After the DOH show I had the pleasure of enjoying the music of The Storyville Players.  A mix of blues, jazz and bluegrass I spent the entirety of their set smiling.  I will definitely be watching out for future dates for this group and posting them here.  They’ve also been in the recording studio and will be releasing a CD this fall; stay tuned!  Again, issues with my cell keep me from sharing either photos or videos; I recorded three of their songs and the sound isn’t good enough to post.  Please do visit their site though and take a listen.

I really had a fantastic time and can’t wait for the next shows.  I’ll post the dates here and hopefully you’ll join me!

Sailing

One of the things that I promised myself I would do after my ex moved out was get out and do things.  I really didn’t have any specific things in mind, but I didn’t want to sit home alone.  I also wanted to make friends, as after three years of living here I honestly can’t say I know anyone, have any friends, that aren’t work acquaintances.

I also wanted to do things for me, things activities that nourished the soul and mind and heart.

Don’t ask me why thinking about all of that made me type ‘sailing lessons’ into Google, but that’s exactly what I did.  And that lead me to Seven Seas Sailing.  Now I’m not going to get into everything that they do there.  What I ended up taking advantage of, however, was their Tuesday night ‘Women’s Sail’.  I called up to find out when to be there and showed up on Tuesday after work, a bit nervous, but a bit excited to.

See, I’ve always wanted to sail.  As a teen I listened with envy as peers from the more well-to-do families talked about being out on the lake and so on.  I adore the water.  I grew up on Lake Ontario and adore that my career has brought me back to the Great Lakes and lets me enjoy a morning commute along the Lake Erie shoreline.

The group of ladies were fantastic.  They welcomed me and engaged me in conversation.  The sail was fantastic, even with the winds kicking so strongly that we could only use the main sail.  I can’t even really put into words how relaxing yet exhilarating the experience was.   I’m missing the next two Tuesdays but look for a follow up on this, weather permitting, when I get to go back out the 24th.