So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen

I'm packing my bags and getting out of Dodge. Not really, but I do tend to escape when there is too much piled on my desk, or recorded in my mental calendar. So, no blog entry this week, there is just "too much to be do". I borrowed that last phrase from a John Lennon essay in a book he called In His Own Write.

Oh, our guest blogger, Steve, was spotted about town last weekend. Hmmm. I missed him, but he was here, attending a fancy soiree, and then lingering and catching up.

Anway, click on the link at the left to get to out new events blog.

Next week....see ya.

Today is President's Day. Ironically, Game Change made its way to the top of the pile last week, giving me ample opportunity to learn more about the complex world of American politics, and is particular, the psychology of elections.

Granted, this book takes a "People Magazine" approach to examining the months leading up to November, 2008, but for my political proof brain, it was the correct approach. While TV and radio interviews zeroed in on the chapters devoted to Sarah Palin, the authors actually focused their attention on the Clinton-Obama dynamic, with John Edwards happenings filling the gaps.

The theatricality of the campaign studded with unlikely stars kept me reading. The book provides a gritty backstage tour of the managing and manipulating needed to direct these high stakes performances. People on the inside, those who spent day and night planning, bickering, warning, consoling, and celebrating with the candidates share their perspectives on what happens on the "inside."

We see the times when emotion trumps logic requiring apologies, backpedaling, or denial to undo the damage. We see how innocent actions from younger years, before a Presidential run was ever entertained, can create havoc during the vetting process. How vulnerable these individuals must have been during that process, never knowing what aspects of their lives were to be scrutinized, or what statements, taken out of context, or uttered in anger or frustration, could cause them the election. Still they moved forward.

Of course, we know that anyone who aspires to run our country has to have a healthy ego, and that theme resonates loudly. But more than that, most of the candidates were shown to be people with sincere ambitions, an overwhelming desire to serve, and an unwavering belief that they could improve life in the US.

Thus ends my feeble attempt to toss around some thin, political rhetoric. I better stop before I begin to sound like a Miss America contestant attempting to answer one of those nerve wracking questions posed at the end of the competition just to make it look like the event has some significance.

I also closed the back cover on Push the weekend - the book that inspired the movie "Precious." To be honest, this 150 page, young adult novel took me over a month to read. Sapphire, the author, tapped into the visual acuity of my mind's eye from page one; consequently, the unnerving descriptions of abuse forming the backdrop of the novel, played out in imagery so strong, I could only bear to read five or so pages at one time. But, this is a story of triumph as mush as of trials, and I am happy I read it. If you plan to pick it up, let me warn you that the language is a rough as the descriptions.

*****Hey, if you're looking for a fun 30-40 minutes, stop in at the Lester Public Library in Two Rivers this coming Saturday...11:00...and hear Hatrack Storytellers. They'll be reading fun little stories and poems to kids. Our readers are pictured here: (L to R) Kathy Palmer, Rick Oswald, Maddie Hansen. Much to their chagrin, I will also be replacing the fourth reader.

*****In other news, we are in the process of creating a blog for store events. The website makes my blood pressure boill, so I'm looking for an simpler, faster way to get the word out about store happening. Every time I try to change or update, the site crashes. Blogs are easier, and so we have launched http://www.ladedainfo.blogspot.com/.

Or, click on the link at the top of the blog...under the Events at LaDeDa heading.

Thanks for stopping by.

It's Heart-A-Rama Time

Nothing calms the winter doldrums better than a little dose of Heart-A-Rama...and we kicked things off nicely on Sunday with our first round of auditions. We had many familiar faces in the small group of auditionees, and a few new ones. I can already tell that making decisions will be a challenge.

Check out the 1972 photo from the HAR archives. Aren't they lovely? If you missed the early years (remember, we turn 40 this year) you missed out of the demurely clad waitstaff, and dapper bartenders. From left to right...Lois Hord, Barb Bouffard-Jenkins, Ray Sturzel, (one of the founders) Dolly Stokes, Pat Chermak (founder and general co-chair for 40 years; nice going Patsy!) and Sally Kalscheaur.

I am awed, and inspired by the group that founded HAR, and grateful that they keep me around. Sometimes, I think it is for the entertainment value...if anyone is going to have a minority opinion, it's me. If anyone is going to see things from a frighteningly different point of view, it's me. If anyone is willing to add a little twist of obtuse humor, a radical spin, or chancy lyric in a skit, it's me, although Brad is climbing aboard that wagon with no hesitation. He is wonderful company.

So, I am hearing there are some bunches of people who don't care for us now that we have moved to Two Rivers. that's too bad; not much has changed, really, except the location. But, I have been thinking, (which is seldom good, and often dangerous), and have come up with a small list of advantages for audiences attending HAR in Trivers.

1. Ample parking...remember how close we all had to park to make sure there was enough space for the crowd attending the show? People could hardly get their car doors open enough to squeeze out. Every year we had to rescue more than one person wedged in, unable to escape without professional help.

2. More bathrooms...if you're new to HAR, you missed the painfully long lines at the one available, women's bathroom. The solution? Have someone stand guard while women used the men's room. No kidding. It wasn't fun, but it was necessary.

3. No more being squished in, shoulder to shoulder, elbow to elbow, knee to butt, with your friends, and strangers.

4. Because we're in the heart of downtown TR, the merchants support us by decorating windows, and offering specials during the run.

5. Our very own Fred Schnell has taken over preparing pre-show burgers and brats. Those profits come to us, and so we have extra money for the American Heart Association. Fred looks real cute in his chef gear, and he has assemble a hard working group of grillers and servers to help out.

This is just the beginning of the advantages. Some people are distressed that hard liquor is not allowed at the Community House, but we still sell beer and wine, and that works for most.

Yup, I know it's not Jacks, but people, Jack's is gone. We miss Jacks, too, and, as nice as everyone is over at Shoreline Credit Union, they draw the line at letting us set up our circus in their lobby. We searched for just the right place to move for you, and you know what, we found it. Trust me, it will grow on you. Don't' give up on us. But, if you have chosen to ditch the show, I hope you are still contributing to the Heart Association, or another charity of your choice.

********Here's a link to Ludmilla Bollow's publisher's blog. Ludmilla is the playwright friend I wrote about a few weeks back. There's a review of her novel on the blog. she has a new novel coming out with a strong Manitowoc connection. I won't spill the beans until she says it's OK to do so.

http://vulpeslibris.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/interview-with-lynn-price-of-behler-publications/

What am I reading? Still working on Push, the book that inspired the movie "Precious." I can only take five or so pages at a time, it is so frightening, and sad. Just started Game Change.
I tend to stay away from gossipy, expose type books, but this is one of those titles that has everyone talking so......

Salinger

JD Salinger died last week, at 91. It seems the author was as enigmatic as his iconic character, Holden Caulfield. Salinger lived a reclusive life in New Hampshire, never granting interviews. I do recall him making headlines a few years back when he tried to stop the publication of a spin-off novel about Holden's adult life.

My "Catchers" disappeared off the shelf quickly, so in order to read it, I grabbed a copy from our amazing Manitowoc Public Library. If you haven't been there in a while, check it out. You'd be surprised at how many new programs they offer. Anyway, the first thing that struck me was the bright, white cover with a couple colorful vertical strips. What happened to that plain, deep maroon cover with the title in bright yellow? I loved that cover. You could pick it out anywhere...which was the polar opposite of what most teenagers wanted. After Peyton Place, and Harrison High, I think The Catcher in the Rye must have been the most surepticiously read book by teens in history.

Reading it again was fun. My first impression was that Holden was just a rich, prep school kid complaining about everything. In the end, beneath the angst, the uncontrollable temper, and the fear of giving in to temptation, I found Holden to be a rather nice guy -a nice guy who made some bad decisions. I loved his concern for his little sister Phoebe, and the honesty with which he spoke of his brother's death. Heck, he even worried about the welfare of the ducks in winter. But beyond that, Holden was powerfully sad about the superficiality he saw all around him. In this character, Salinger gave us a pre-cursor to the youthful rebellion of the 60's - a time when everything from wealth to morality was being questioned.

Salinger also wrote Franny and Zooey, which I think I like more than Catcher when I read it in college.

*****Heart-A-Rama auditions are next Sunday at 12:00, and Monday at 7:00 in the Kadow Hall at the Capitol Civic Centre. They are painless, and even a bit fun. We will have you read from a script, and then sing! Most people sing "Happy Birthday" but if you care to sing an aria from La Boheme, that would be grand. We're a nice bunch...give us a try.

Thanks for stopping by.