Hotter Than a Pepper Sprout

"I've had a bit of a 'Talley's Folly' hangover today, and I mean that in the best sense. Overindulging on emotion and creativity and friendship and community and art! And yeah, probably some red wine and sweet potato fries, too. Much gratitude to everyone who shared Matt and Sally's story with us this weekend, including friends, family, and strangers!" --Facebook post from Nov. 15, 2015 What emotional and artistic cocktail causes a theater hangover? In the case of Talley's, the recipe looked something like: 2 parts self-doubt 1 part the emotional angst and vulnerability of my character 1 part gratitude for everyone who came to see us 1-2 dashes of terror Shake, blend, and mix the hell out of all the ingredients and serve over the hope that you really are doing something awesome and  garnish with a big slice of excitement. Combine this potent concoction with the generous amounts of red wine and sweet potato fries that I consumed after every sh...

Wanda and I both heard it. Two teams were tied in second place with THIRTY-NINE points. We had FORTY-ONE points. We knew it couldn't be true, there was no way we had won trivia...but... ...except? ...maybe?  we did get all of the anatomy questions and all the music questions correct. And only missed one superhero origin-story question (SAILOR MOON! Duh! I could have at least guessed that!) ...and we did hear wrong. Second place was FORTY-NINE points. (No idea what first place got, who cares, screw 'em, it wasn't us). Ah the thrill of (imagined, brief, fleeting, fantasy) victory, the agony of defeat. At least we solidly lost. It would have been worse if we had been close to winning but lost because I had a major fail on the Robin Williams question. I mean really, "Mrs. Doubtfire" was NOT an 80's movie? It came after "Dead Poets Society?" My Robin Williams-movie timeline is completely screwed. My internal clock is smashed. I knew Chad before ...

I don't believe the James J. Hill House is haunted by the ghost of James J. Hill--or anyone else--but I do like to think that after our three-weekend run of "Talley's Folly" there it will be forever imbued with a little piece of my heart. I had a director once who talked about how every place that we create theater becomes sacred and that the magic can never be recreated in exactly the same way again. I inwardly rolled my eyes at her a bit, but I was also intrigued, and this idea has come to mean more and more to me through the years. It's not just theater but any place we come together to create art and make music and share these experiences as performers and audience members. I've been lucky enough to experience this ephemeral and fragile magic in venues as varied as our church, the Driftwood Char Bar, senior living centers, and our garage (where we rehearsed Talley's this time around). Even a bathroom selfie at the James J. House is elegant Of c...

Everybody has weird dreams, but I seem to remember mine more that most people do, maybe because my sleep stages are messed up. I don't think they have any special mystical meaning, but are usually just a way for my brain to work through whatever I'm stressed out about. My subconscious also steals heavily from whatever television show or books I've been consuming for its dream imagery, which I'm sure contributes to the strangeness. This morning's dream was typically bizarre and random, but seemed to have a cool "message" (totally constructed by me)  that makes it worth of blogging about. And hey, I've been searching for blog inspiration, so why not?  In my dream, my friends and I were being terrorized by a fierce and seemingly indestructible monster. (This was definitely inspired by the episode of "Shield" that we watched just before bed.) One by one, my friends were being tortured and killed and there was nothing I could do. The monster ...

I was in the bathroom when I heard the crash. I was momentarily alarmed, but quickly decided it was no big deal. "One of the pets just knocked over the baby gate," I thought. (Don't worry friends I haven't seen in a while...you haven't missed any big news, we use the "baby" gate mainly to keep our elderly dachshund Oscar from falling down the stairs.)  I walked into the kitchen and discovered I was wrong. So very wrong. The victim was the coffeemaker. Knocked off the counter (by our cat Pepper, I had no doubt) and lying in pieces on the kitchen floor amidst coffee and grounds (also splattered on the cupboards, of course). Despair and panic gripped me.  If you're not a coffee person, I don't think I can explain these feelings to you. If you're not a coffee person, I both envy and pity you. I envy your freedom, that you're not enslaved to your need for coffee, but I also feel sorry for you that your life lacks that sublime desire fo...

Chad and I are unabashed tv-holics (and I'm NOT talking socially or intellectually redeeming PBS shows). We are also pathologically overbooked. So we just got around to watching the last episode of the "Daily Show" (and if I have to tell you that's with Jon Stewart you probably have no interest in reading this) a couple of days ago. It's funny how much a tv show can seep into your life. Watching The Daily Show has been a constant part of our lives for the past sixteen years, so I have to share my reflections: It's obvious, but must be said: this really brings home the passage of time, and yes, makes me feel old. We even watched the show when Craig Kilborn was the host.  Time and memory are very malleable, and it's strange how a television show can be such a maker of one's own personal history. I'm surprised that Jon didn't start hosting the Daily Show until we moved to Minnesota (I thought it was during our Iowa Era). I also can't beli...

Just as Resting Bitch Face has re-emerged as one of the great issues of our age, I've discovered I have Resting Bitch(y) Drummer Face. Or, to be more accurate, Active Scary (or Scared?) Drummer Face. (Don't try to figure out an acronym). I present Exhibit A from our most recent Twin Town recital at Whiskey Junction:  "Don't mess up or someone's going down."  Actually, this is a really cool photo, and we were very lucky that Twin Cities Media took professional photos of us and even wrote a blog post: http://twincitiesmedia.net/blog/?p=19252 . But I do look very "intense." I guess that's better than looking like I'm phoning (or should I say "IM-ing"?) it in.  I've given a lot of thought to my drumming stage presence in the last couple of years, as I've gotten the impression that it's disappointingly low-key and mild-mannered. (Or thankfully low-key for one of my older friends who was worried I was going to fla...

I didn't see this exact cat shirt, but this conveys the idea... Much has already been written about last weekend's inaugural Eaux Claires Festival, but I can't resist adding my observations to the mix. The sound quality was amazing. Even pretty far away from the stage, the sound was clear and the mix was great. Big video screens also helped the crowd-averse enjoy the event while maintaining our personal space. The sound was also good because, for the most part, the festival goers were really into the music and not too loud and drunk or constantly talking during the sets. IT WAS HOT. STICKY AND HOT. The guidebook for the festival that included poetic descriptions of the musicians was beautiful. I stopped reading it at lunch on Saturday because I was starting to cry at the restaurant.  Not as many man bun sightings as in Uptown, but they were a noticeable presence. The other fashion highlight was all the awesome cosmic cat and kitten shirts.  Oh, Eau Claire(s) ...

Based on my suggestion (so I can take the credit or get the blame), our student Kinks tribute band is performing "Come Dancing" as part of our set at the Whiskey Junction on August 7. I should probably be embarrassed to admit this, but as a preteen of the early 80's, this song from 1982 was my first real introduction to the Kinks, and holds a special nostalgic place in my heart. Not only does it remind me of my preteendom, but my brother had his own version of his song that went "The day they knocked down the Co-Op, my sister stood and cried. The day they knocked down the Co-Op, part of my childhood died, just died." Despite Chad's often warranted critique that my posts are way too long, I'm now going to dive into a long explanation and exploration of that one simple lyric. There are just too many amazing and enlightening layers to it that I don't want my gentle readers to miss: Check out the video for this (which I can't link to, sorry!...

...and a cool glass and a MEDAL. That's right, a freakin' medal. And I feel like I totally deserved it. This Fourth of July, I ran my first half marathon, (the Twin Cities Red, White & Boom), and it made me feel pretty darn mighty. It also blew my mind. Even though I've been running/jogging for over fifteen years, I wasn't at all "athletic" in my formative years, so still don't always think of myself as the running type.  Aforementioned Race Loot (sans cool glass) And how did it go? One cool thing about running is that it's very personal, so it's hard to say what is objectively awesome. You have to take your age, sex ( your sex, not if you've had it or not), sleep deprivation level, the humidity, how many people you have to dodge, how hilly the course is, your previous race and training times, if you're sick or hungover or being chased (and by what), etc., etc., into account. I really did not know what to expect for my first ha...

Tonight Chad and I got to hear one of our favorite musicians, Craig Finn, talk about his new album at a "listening party" at the Bryant Lake Bowl. It was a real thrill, even though there wasn't a convenient opportunity to take photos or schmooze with Craig. (In other words, we were too shy or polite or Midwestern to do these things, but then again, no one else really seemed to be chatting or taking photos, either.) Only the contest winners got to bowl with Craig. That was both disappointing and a relief (I would have been SOO nervous!) Craig Finn's new album (release date: September 11) Some observations/insights/takeaways from the evening: It was cool that we were brave enough to sit in the front row, VERY close to the stage, and also a little awkward. The whole evening was a little awkward. As Craig said, for him, it was awkward listening to his music in front of other people. Even host Jill Riley (from the Current) said she didn't know what to do with...

I'm supposed to be tapering. Yes, this could mean many interesting things, but there is a specific context. It's one week until I'm running/jogging/staggering my first ever half marathon (13.1 miles). According to conventional training wisdom, the week (or even two) before the big race you should cut back on how much you exercise. The goal is to give your body a chance to rest up and recover from all your previous training madness, and give you more energy for the big event. Tapering also reduces your chances of injuring yourself in a training run. Makes sense, but that still leaves me with the danger of tripping over Oscar, who no longer has any sense of personal space, or one of the cats, who love sleeping at the top of the stairs. (Apparently Olive is our only pet not trying to kill us by such stealth.) So tapering sounds simple, right? But how much tapering is too much? Dig a little deeper, and the advice on tapering gets a little conflicted and complicated. ...

At our last Twin Town Guitars recital, I stepped out of my proverbial comfort zone for our Pretenders tribute band and traded in my drumsticks for the keyboards and a stab at lead vocals on a couple of songs. Why?  I'd been kicking around this idea for a while...I actually started playing the piano before I started drumming, and was fairly good at it way back in junior high. And of course, I always have delusions of singing grandeur (who doesn't?)  My interest in the keyboards was rekindled when I played them on  "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" with our Hank Williams band. And this opportunity was hard to pass up. We had another amazing drummer willing to take over the percussionist duties (and no, I'm not at all threatened by his awesomeness) and I didn't have to go drumming cold turkey, as I still got to play drums for the other band we were in (Howlin' Wolf).  So, some observations, musings and reflections: My "comfort zone" isn...

In the end, all my careful plans were undone by a large amount of beer. I'm sure this has been true for countless people, but in my case, it was unusual not because alcohol was involved, but because the catalyst was beer, and not wine (or whisky). Of course I will explain (that's the whole point of a blog, right?) A couple of months ago, I decided Chad and I should have a little shindig to celebrate our upcoming 20th wedding anniversary. The only wrinkle with this decision was that several months earlier Chad and I decided (note that both spouses were involved in this decision) NOT to do anything extravagant or complicated to celebrate our 20th. No vow renewal, no party, no wang dang doodle. Maybe next year, to celebrate our 21st anniversary, when our relationship would be old enough to drink (legal intoxication always a cherished milestone). Well I'm all for a big 21st anniversary bash (warning: friends and family may be subjected to more hoopla next year) but...

Last weekend we wrapped up, at least for now, our performances of "The Great Nebula in Orion." We first brought this one-act by Lanford Wilson to life in mid March for the Minnesota Community Theater Festival. On my flight to DC on Sunday to play professional librarian at a conference, I finally had a chance to reflect a little on what I learned playing Louise, a confident and successful fashion designer in the 70's: Sparkly turquoise eyeshadow makes me happy and is just fine for everyday wear (and speaking at a librarian conference). A bright blue vintage 70's polyester pantsuit that looks unpromising can magically transform both you and it when you put it on (thank you MC for this amazing costume!!)  I know! This pantsuit is amazing!! As the acting adage goes, it's really hard to play drunk without overdoing it, but I'm pretty good at playing drunk and lounging on a couch. I'm better at playing an angry drunk than a sad drunk (unfortunately...

A few days ago I made a shocking discovery: "Days of Our Lives" is still on the air. For whatever reason, I had been living my life under the misunderstanding that ALL soaps, including DOOL, had gone off the air. This falsehood was remedied thanks to a friend we were staying with. Somehow it came up that Emily followed and recorded DOOL so we promptly viewed two recent episodes. To put it simply, my mind was (and still is) blown. Why such a powerful reaction? Nostalgia, to be sure. I grew up watching DOOL and all the NBC soaps (and even a few from other channels) and my earliest memories include these "stories." And so many of these characters are STILL on the show!! Which is both wonderful and frightening. How does Marlena do it? Of course anything nostalgia related is also deeply intertwined with memories of my mother. And Colleen loved her stories. When mom was dying, my sister Jenn read to her from Soap Opera Digest, because hearing about these familiar ch...

Sometimes it's the little things. Like rainbow unicorn kittens. I can be quite surly about popular things. Often my inner teen causes me to have a knee-jerk reaction against something just because too many other people like it. But not so with rainbow unicorn kittens. Perhaps rainbow unicorn kittens have a storied, or sordid, history. Maybe they are even considered a meme. I just discovered them a few weeks back when looking for a greeting card to brighten up the day of a friend. I fell in love with them last night while looking for an image for a PowerPoint presentation. I needed something to capture the excitement and magic of my topic...and to fill up some space...and luckily, remembered the rainbow unicorn kitten and how happy it made me. I don't even really like butterflies (they actually creep me out a bit) A google search of "rainbow unicorn kittens" returned more magic and excitement than I could have hoped for. It's amazing all the different em...