Getting Out of the Ol' Comfort Zone

One of my hobbies, if you can call it that, is being active with my local community theatre, Little Theatre of Manchester (CT). My work runs the gamut from ushering and box office, to directing, to performing.  Right now I'm in a 10-women, ensemble production of The Vagina Monologues. 

This came about a little by accident.  I had never had any interest in the play, but decided to audition anyway, because there aren't a lot of parts for women of a certain age, so there aren't that many shows I could try for. Still, LTM is swarming with talented women, so I didn't have any real expectation of getting cast. No one was more surprised than me when I was offered a part.

Suffice to say, I had to shake off a LOT of puritanical programming and get way out of my comfort zone to embrace this production. Happily, I can report -- mission accomplished. The audiences so far seem to agree as evidenced by this kitchy critique by Connecticut Broadway World.

A Good Night's Sleep -- It Ain't

Just survived another common medical procedure for the middle-aged -- a Sleep Study.  With all the bells and whistles they hook you to, it's a bit of a wonder you get any sleep at all, let alone enough to test for anything.

This is not me, but it is a good representation of the wiring involved in my study.  By the time you are all hooked up, you feel more like a macrame project than a medical subject. But if it leads to better sleep, better health, and weight loss, I guess it will be worth it.  Fingers crossed!

One other tid bit.  It is apparently a common idea after one of these to "go out to breakfast" on the way home. Don't plan on it. Not only are you completely exhausted when it's over, you are left to deal with big globs of glue stuck in your hair, on your face, etc. All you'll really want to do is take a shower and a nap!

Beloved Aunt and Family Matriarch

The family bid farewell to another beloved elder in February. Five months after my father's passing, Aunt Mae left to join her best friend, Uncle Gene, who died in September of 2010. I worried about my mom, losing her husband and sister in such a short time. But mom is nothing if not pragmatic, and seems to be coping pretty well.

Still Aunt Mae's passing is deeply felt. She was the core of the family and her passing is a game changer. Holidays always centered on her and her little Massachusetts house. It remains to be seen whether the house will stay in the family. I hope it does. But even so, the true heart of that home is gone and now we must all make new futures for ourselves and the family.

We Send You On With Love and Gratitude

It has taken my until today to be able to post this.

September 1, 2011, my father, Robert B. Bailey, was finally released from the 88 year old frame that had come to be his shackle. He is free again to fly.

Dad's release was peaceful and painless after a day spent joking with his family. We should all be so lucky. He is loved and his wisdom and counsel will be missed, but he owes us nothing. The debt is ours for all his has done for us. Our only chance to repay him is to pass on what he taught us and to do good when we can. Thank you for everything, Dad. We love you.

Ah Ravioli

Got a phone call from my dad in Tucson -- with my brother's help

Dad hasn't been able to talk on the phone for some time. It is a little too abstract for him at this point on most days. But not this time. This time he was alert, he was funny and he knew I was me. He was up to date about my new job, had glib retorts after hearing we recently had 25 wild turkeys in our yard, etc. It was a full out conversation.Things haven't been looking too good for Dad of late, so this was a treat and a treasure.

He signed off with his classic bastardization of au revoir -- "Ah-ravioli!"

Ah-ravioli, Dad. Ah ravioli.

You Kids Knock It Off Or We'll Go Right Back Home!!

My husband has gained a whole new appreciation for parenting. Until April, he had a very romantic notion of what it is like to raise a puppy. In the last 3 months, though, he's come to see that it is a LOT like parenting. It has also given him a new respect for parents of young children and for what his own folks dealt with.

Sunday was the first time we tried to take our two dogs, and our nephew-dog out by car to the town's new dog park.

Wrangling them into the car was the first challenge. We had to make Harley sit in the middle to break up Lexi and Duncan. And, of course, like the littlest kid she is, Lexi kept standing up and trying to weasel her way into the front seat, while the boys sat nicely in their seats.

The walk from the car to the dog park posed its own problems. These three could practically braid leashes the way they wove in and out of each other. But the park, seemed to be a hit. They met lots of new dogs. And they got lots of human attention since they were 3 look-alikes. Duncan, as usual, flirted shamelessly with various bevies of teenage girls.

The best part -- once we got them all home again, they crashed! Peace at last.

Boston Chic

Inspired by an article on CNN about Boston style, which was, in turn, inspired by a bespoke blog called Beyond Boston Chic, I thought I'd show that our own favorite Bostonian (specifically Cambridgeite) Grad student is respectably representin'.

I think it's the Dior sunglasses (found on the Metro in Montreal, if I recall correctly) that really sew up the look. Then again it might be the smile of contentment at being exactly where she wants to be. Either way, it's my new favorite picture of The Girl.

Weird Twist of Fate

So a little over a month ago -- we adopted a 16 week old puppy who we named, Lexi. I thought, "hey -- this will work, I'm home all day, I can train her." -- but within a week of bringing her home, my little world turned oddly upside down.

I got a call from a temp agency. I never applied with them so I don't know how they got my resume, but they had a long-term temp position for which they thought I was an excellent fit. Turns out they were right -- it was m OLD JOB!! OK, several of us had the same function and "one of us" was going out on maternity leave.

When they told the hiring manger they'd found someone, then told her my name, she was like -- OMG!! Get her in here tomorrow! Of course that begs the question of why she didn't think of me herself, but no matter. I was the right person at the right time so they brought me on to cover a maternity leave.

I signed on on 5/9 and have been having the best time ever since. This version of the job has all the things I liked about the work, with nothing that I didn't like. I get up every morning and head off to work with a smile on my face. It's really nice.

At this point, I try not to focus on the fact that the temp pay is 30% less than what I made when I left the job. Welcome to the new normal.

My advice for all my friends in a long term job search -- get a puppy! Your phone will ring immediately!

POST SCRIPT: A few weeks later, while I was enjoying the temp job, I got offered a great, "real" job. The whole get-a-puppy, get-a-job thing really played out! I start at ING 8/1/11! Two years and 2 weeks post layoff. It was quite an experience.