Fun and Games Dept

Lunch was a Beyond Meat cheeseburger today and I am beyond happy with the taste experience.

So this is a very new thing. Truman is not a cuddler by any means, but he’s up here purring away.

The four of us have been getting together on a regular basis to watch this last season of “Schitt’s Creek”. I discovered the series back when I had my last surgery to fix my plumbing a few years ago. Earl and I have been faithful followers since then and have always been excited to see new episodes on Pop!TV. Jamie and Chris recently binged the entire series to get to the latest episodes.

“Schitt’s Creek” is in its final season and the countdown of the last episodes has begun. I remarked to Earl last night that I’m actually going to be quite bummed when the series comes to an end in a few weeks. There is a certain simplicity in the complexities of the characters and the show. I mentioned that seeing these characters completely embrace who they are without hesitation, especially Dan Levy’s David, made me feel more comfortable about who I am.

It’s better when we just be.

The last three episodes of the series (thus far) felt rather touching in their quirky own way. There was even a flashback to an earlier episode.

I’m going to miss this show when it ends its run. It’s probably been my favorite show of the past year or two. I’ll be positively disconsolate when there’s no more adventure to be enjoyed.

A 1980s style remix of Lady Gaga’s “Stupid Love”. I’m rather diggin’ it.

When we can set up the balcony on the 2nd of March, we are very happy people.

It’s amazing, the things that come to mind at times. Whenever it’s time to recite The Lord’s Prayer during a church service, I sing it to myself. I never knew there was a video to accompany this Top 40 hit from the early 1970s.

Here’s Sister Janet Mead with “The Lord’s Prayer”.

https://youtu.be/DZF9rsgKZHw

Photo courtesy of NewCityStage.com

It’s been a little over 30 years since I first saw “Shear Madness” in the Theatre District, back in the day when I lived in Boston. My first experience with the show was a solo adventure. I remember being enthralled with the idea of a stage show having a variable ending and being so up-to-the-minute with current event references in the dialog. I’ve seen the show a few times since, the most recent being the late 1990s in the same theatre in Boston.

“Shear Madness” is playing at the Mercury Theater around the corner from us here in Chicago. The four of us enjoyed the show very much and all of us were laughing throughout.

There are several important ingredients in this show, the most vital being an ensemble that works well together, and the performers in tonight’s production worked the stage wonderfully as a team.

The production, the set, the approach, all echoed the productions I saw back in Boston, mind you with all the Beantown references removed and replaced with Chicagoisms. Part scripted production, part improv, part stand-up, all of the performers were up to the task of a great performance. Not to give too much away, but there’s a part of the performance where the audience participates (“Big deal, I took a whole place setting.” “Not now, MA!”*). The four of us all contributed (not that there was a test or anything) and even outside of the audience participation portion, I still felt quite engaged with the show.

I’d like to give a special shoutout to Brittany D Parker as Barbara DeMarco and Mary Robin Roth as Mrs. Schubert. The whole cast was very good.

If you get the chance I highly recommend seeing “Shear Madness”. It’s a great escape and a fun time for all.

* Props to those who get that reference from another whodunit scenario.

The first escalator I remember riding was at the Woolworth’s in Watertown, New York. The escalator took shoppers down to a lower level where you would find a selection of small shops, sort of like a mini-mall. I remember riding the escalator down and then back up and then being told by my mom that one ride was enough. We then ate lunch in the Harvest House restaurant.

My husband and I did a little bit of shopping today. One of our stops was at a recently opened Menard’s (insert banjo music, “Save big money at Menard’s!). I was a little tickled to see it was a two story building, with bridges across a big opening and nifty escalators that could accommodate carts and wheelchairs and everything.

At the top of the escalator was a woman playing a grand piano. I kind of thought she should have been playing banjo music but the grand piano was a nice touch.