Finster Finds

In a couple of days Mark will be done Annie and I commence the next project that I have. I spent this week finally getting all the T4 stuff done for the store. I kept putting it off, and then when I planned to do it, life and sickness and the kids interfered. I made it a priority yesterday and the day before and I got it done. It is all parcelled up and ready to be mailed tomorrow. It has been strange for me to actually be home so much. The boys are a bit of a challenge in the evening because I know they push the boundaries a bit more with me, but I also know that they like that I can usually be conned into reading a few more stories and that I am less likely to get mad at their shenanigans. There is a nice feeling when I realize that although Mark is off rehearsing or showing that I don't have to rush off somewhere in the cold with my car with a burnt out headlight (got to get that fixed!). This weekend my sis is coming home for a quick and dirty visit. I also have the firs...

I have had a few interesting 'conversations' with my 8 year old over the last few months. The first was when he asked me if boys could marry boys. We had a nice chat about that. I talked about what being gay was and that, yes, in Canada, boys who loved each other could marry. I also talked about the fact that there are some people who don't like that, but that I thought it was a good thing. He's 8, so I wasn't going to get into details beyond much more than that. The other thing we talked about was how he was really starting to like acting (he takes a class at The Citadel - Foote Theatre School). He asked if he could be an Actor and a Pharmacist. I suggested that might be very possible and very practical.

If I am still sick tomorrow it will be a week of this. There have been ups and downs and I really thought 2 days ago that I was going to be done with this, but I am not. So, other than cancelling some volunteer commitments at the school, I decided to get some stuff done regardless of how I felt. The worst is in the morning, so I did do some major sleeping in (it seems to help), but during the days I kicked it into gear and got some of my errands done. Last night I put away 4 overflowing baskets of laundry and washed and dried a couple more. I ran around delivering things to Mark that he had forgotten and went and bought a shirt he might be able to use for his show because he was stressing about costumes. He's a big guy. He cannot just go to Value Village and find something that will fit because he is above the 99% in size. After the laundry I tidied our bedroom a bit (still needs work - but it is much better). Today I dropped off two big bags at Goodwill (get rid of clutter ...

But on the upside, I deleted Cafe World from my Facebook Profile and I imagine this might mean 1-2 hours of extra time every day... I am hopeful. Luckily we have plenty o' medication. Not so luckily it means I will not get to see Tight Rope at New Works in all it's glory. This is making me heart sick as well as body sick. A positive thing to being sick is that I lay on the couch in my snuggie and watched the Opening Ceremonies last night. I am not that into the Olympics but the show was amazing. I saw so many things that I want to steal for future productions. I cried (Rick Hansen, Betty Fox, K.D. Lang). I laughed (that Slam Poet - must look up his name). I was in awe (flying across the prairie, skiing and snowboarding down the mountain, K. D. Lang). I wouldn't have seen it if I wasn't curled up on the couch in misery...

Gibson has been home sick for two days. He seems better now, but yesterday he was a cuddly little ball of feverish germs. For some reason, despite Gibson being pretty easy going even while ill, I find myself paralyzed by sick days. I waste time. There are things I could do, but I sit on Facebook and email and don't do them. In my head it is because I have a sick kid at home, but I know I could still get much more done. I don't get it. I have spent a lot of time thinking. I have been thinking about a new writing project I hope to get started with people. I have been thinking about 'what makes theatre edgy' because of a discussion I had Sunday night. I have been thinking about the things I have to do and am not doing. I have been thinking about getting organized. Now, I should be honest. I have not done nothing. I just feel like I haven't done nearly as much as I could have. No one else is going to clean this house!

Had several very good conversations tonight about Arts Funding and what makes Art edgy and that sort of thing. The first discussion was just prior to the Walterdale Board Meeting. About 4 of us were there early and one of us had been to a recent meeting with the Arts and Culture Minister where the news was delivered that there was likely to be cuts to Arts Funding in the new budget. There was a lot of 'preaching to the choir' and I mentioned that I thought a major problem was the way the message was delivered. The Average Joe does not respond to the arguments that Artists make about why Art is important. Until we realize that and change the message or they way we deliver the message we are not going to convince anyone who isn't already convinced. You can say the "art is not a luxury" in a room full of theatre goers and you will get a tonne of support, but on the playground and in the hockey arena, you need to change the message. This frustrates me because you wou...

The whole Finlay Clan took in The Tortoise and the Hare at the Westbury last night. It was produced by Promise Productions and the Hare was played by a friend from Walterdale. She kindly offered comps for some of her friends with children so I asked for 3 and then it turned out Mark could also go, so I managed to snag him one of the few remaining tickets. We got there early so we had lovely seats and ran into Linette and her niece and we thoroughly enjoyed the show. Gibson had his own 'moment' when he yelled out 'He's a tortoise!' to which the entire audience laughed loudly. Both boys have since recalled several moments they liked from the play. Being of different ages they each responded to different moments. Oliver had a tense moment when he worried that the poisons, referred to in the play, were real. I reassured him that we would be fine and we moved on. It was nice to go out as a family and see a show that was age appropriate and length appropriate. ...

I realized the other day that I wasn't sick anymore. It was a nice 'realization' because the cold was one of those that seemed to linger and I kept thinking will I ever feel good again? I do now. Which is good because I have a lot of things to do. I dropped off my selected scripts for photocopying at the theatre today. I think I have a great season and I hope that the Board goes with my first choices. The back-ups are more for if rights are not approved and I need something else. They are all good scripts, the chosen ones and the back-ups... but I had to balance things other than just the scripts (cast size, costuming, set considerations, tone of show, etc...). I know that some people will be disappointed, and that makes me feel bad because I want a place for everyone at the theatre (and there is a place - but it might be different from what those people want). Oh well, it is part of the job... The boys are working on their Valentines. It is a good activity as they p...