Finster Finds

Deep Breath.... So I just got back from the bank. The bank is at Westmount Mall which happens to have the stupidest parking lot right now because of the construction. It's tight. I know that. I park further away from the door than I'd like because I need to find a spot with enough room to get Gibson in and out. Fine. I do that. Then, after we are done our business in the Mall we return to find a different car parked on the driver's side (also the side that Gibson goes in) that is parked much closer than the previous vehicle was. The driver and a couple of his friends are standing on the far side of the car smoking and chatting. I unload my groceries into the trunk and open the back door to get Gibson in. It's tight. There is no way I can get him in without my door touching the car. It would have been physically impossible. As it was it was hard to do. I am fuming because this happens all the time and it is my number one pet peeve. Once I couldn't even open my door m...

We own our own business. It is a small Independent Pharmacy in the McKernan area. It is basically a two person operation, meaning that if you have a Pharmacist and a front store person on, you can manage quite well. We had a couple of P/T Pharmacists at the beginning. One went on maternity leave and one quit for another job. We went over 6 months with just Mark working the 6 days of the store. I started to go crazy. Then we got another P/T Pharmacist in January. At the end of April he left for medical reasons with plans to return. We had another P/T start training. He trained for 2 1/2 days and then put his back out at the gym. He is still waiting to feel no pain. I am going crazy again. it is the combination of no down time and doing a show at the same time and I am going to lose it. Meanwhile, Oliver is getting in trouble at school so he has lost DS (Gameboy) and Computer privileges so that adds to my workload. Also, Gibson is band aid obsessed and has yet another ches...

This weekend is half over but for me it is just starting. Since Mark works Saturdays I didn't really feel that I could get much rest. Oliver had Friday off school so I had both boys for Fri and Sat and we did our activities and some errand that needed doing and they even managed a water fight both days. Gibson has a hard time understanding that in a water fight he will get wet too. He just wants to be able to get Oliver wet and he figures that should be the rule. Now, Sunday morning and my weekend really starts. Mark has plans with the boys for today and tomorrow and in the time I have when I am not rehearsing I have things to do. This afternoon I am meeting AM for lunch and a play (that I really hope I understand because it is outside of my comfort zone, I think). It will be good to see AM as I haven't seen her since her Capital Region Directorial Debut. After the play I will shop a bit and then I have rehearsal. When I get home... I will sand the mudded walls in the ...

We have entered the time of year I like to call the Days of Sand. This is because from now until about October I will be finding sand in everything. There will be sand in my couches. There will be sand on my floors. There will be sand in the washing machine and dryer. There will even be sand in the beds (on occasion - although since Gibson doesn't nap so much anymore it will be greatly reduced). I will sweep several times a days to no avail. My car will have a bunch of sand in the back seat and on the floor. The worst will be the feeling that I am covered in sand, that it is on my face and in my hair (and it might be). I imagine that a sand facial is not the best kind, but that is what I will be getting.

I am currently Assistant Directing one of the One Acts at Walterdale Theatre. I am fitting in the time commitment 'when I can' so I shall miss a few rehearsals. It is hard to do two shows at once, and with Cinderella starting up in mid June I will be going straight from 2 shows to 2 shows. I think I only have about a week of overlap until I am done to just the one Fringe show so late June shall feel like a bit of a relief, I think. I am also hopeful that my director will work around my hectic schedule with the knowledge that after July 12th I am hers and hers alone. It is strange to switch from show to show and keep the focus. Acting and Directing are different and you have to be in a different place and you have different permissions for sharing ideas in each role. I like doing both, but I really have to separate the different projects.

Last night I went out to Horizon Stage in Spruce Grove to watch an evening of One Acts. It is the first year that they have done this evening and it was a wonderful night of theatre. My good friend, AM , directed one of the shows ( This is a Play ) so I had to go and I was so pleased that I did. I haven't had a laugh out loud evening of theatre like that in a long time. There have been a few chuckles at shows, but every thing I have seen in Edmonton has been too restrained or contrived when it should have been more. In any case, 3 of the four shows were better than most of the pro shows I've seen out there and the remaining one was still good, but you could tell one of the actors was a little inexperienced and self-conscious on stage. I still enjoyed it, but not as much as the rest of them. A stand-out of the evening was Elizabeth Marsh ... she just has this incredible charisma on stage... really, really, smart actress. AM says she wants to find a script where Elizabe...

Godmother! I received an email to day offering me the part of the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella for this year's Fringe. It is a theatre for Young Audiences show (TYA) so it will be the first show that I can have both my boys come to. I hope they are ready! Woo Woo! This means that I will not be able to be Stage Manager on my friend Magnolia's show. I am torn about that, but I cannot do two shows and the whole parenting/family thing. Not 2 Fringe shows, in any case. It would be too, too crazy. I am not sure which is the best choice. Like any good dilemma, both choices are pretty evenly matched (in a good way). I am doing the Cinderella thing though, because I auditioned for it before I knew about the Stage Managing. I figure that's fair. I let life choose for me. In any case, it is something to look forward to and based on the audition it will be a nice comic role. I wonder if I can wear my wedding dress again.... Hmmmm....

It's a real struggle trying to do this job. You do what you think is right and you find things working for you at home and then you find out it isn't working at school. You want to be able to send your kid out into the world and have them function the way they do when you are around... but they don't, not always, not with my kid. I am at a loss. Other than attending school with him, I am not sure what I can do.

It pours? A week ago I was feeling like I didn't have much to challenge me artistically. BABY , although fun to go to, isn't really stretching many of my performance muscles and that was basically all I had on the go. However, this week I auditioned for a Fringe show (TYA - Cinderella - a show the boys could go to if I got in) and I got an email requesting help from Trading Stages (Walterdale's One Acts). I am cleared to help out on the One Acts. that will fill a few more nights a week. The Fringe show wouldn't start rehearsing until after BABY is done, so if I get that it will also keep me busy. Getting in that would also mean I wouldn't audition for Children of a Lesser God at Walterdale. It is the first show of the 50th Season. I can't see doing a Fringe show and rehearsing another show at the same time. So let's wait and see.