Until one has loved an animal, part of one's soul remains unawakened. (Anatole France)

My sister's little cat, Topper, died on Sunday.  He lived a long life and was very pampered and loved by her, but, like many little creatures, he had a very difficult beginning.  Lots of people in cottage country think it's fun to have a cat for the summer, but then they abandon the poor animal when the season is done.  Topper's mother probably lived through that scenario.  When Rickie's friend, Ted, found Topper, he was living alone under a cottage.  He was a tiny kitten with an abscess on his tail and the vet told Rickie it appeared that he had never eaten solid food, and had been living on insects.  Rickie had mentioned to Ted that she thought she might like to get a cat, so when Ted found Topper, he thought, "here's a cat for Rickie!"  Of course, Rickie had heard that it wasn't necessarily a good idea to take a feral cat into your home, but when she demurred, Ted knew what to say.  "Okay, I'll just let him go under the cottage again.  He won't be a problem for long."  What could she do?

At first, Topper was very frightened of everything and spent a lot of time in Rickie's bathroom, hiding under the sink, but gradually he came to trust her and it didn't take her long before she loved him with all her heart.   He was a pretty cat, mostly black with white markings, fluffy, very lively.  Early in the morning, he'd get quite frisky and start running around the apartment, leaping up on things with no effort, and yowelling loudly.  He travelled out here to the west coast and met our dogs and Orlando, my bird.  He came to Saskatchewan when my mother was still alive, and had a violent encounter with a Weyburn cat, in which he fled the scene, leaving Rickie behind to fight off the interloper.

When Carlos came into the picture, they approached each other with a bit of wariness, but Topper had soon won Carlos over, too.  Carlos can be gruff, but it's amazing what a small animal can do to an otherwise sensible adult.   Carlos liked to tell stories about Topper's antics and tease him a bit (like Mike teases Daisy) and Rickie says he is almost as sad as she is about Topper's death.

Topper was 21 years old when he died.  Over the last month, he struggled to walk and finally on the weekend, he wasn't interested in eating, so Rickie knew it was his time.  He died peacefully at home, on his cat bed with Rickie and Carlos there.

It is so hard when we lose a pet.  We have had this experience with all our dear dogs over the years and this year, we lost my buddy, Orlando, after a lifetime together (he was 30 - a very long life for a cockatiel).  They trust us so completely, and love us without question, and then we watch them get old and feeble and sometimes we have to decide what's best for them in the end.  People understand, in some ways, what is happening to them as they get old and sick, but our pets just look at us faithfully and trust that we will do our best for them.  I remember what Mr. Allison said when he lost his dog.  He remembered how enthusiastic Rocky was about everything.  How wonderful his dog food tasted!  How thrilling it was to go for a walk or fetch a ball (one hundred times)!  And he made Mr. Allison think about how wonderful life is, too.  And that is their gift to us.  One of their gifts.  They aren't ever ashamed of themselves.  They don't worry about what people think of them.  They can't be embarrassed.  They are what they are and they will always try to do their best and not be concerned if it doesn't work out.  Rickie said, as Topper got older, he wasn't able to jump up on things like he used to.  He'd try, but he wouldn't make it.  But after suffering defeat with equanimity, he would just sit on the floor and look at the structure that had defeated him and seem to be thinking, "oh well, I'll try later.  Maybe I'll make it then."

Death is a part of life, I know, but a very difficult one.  We can't really understand how it happens and lots of time it seems terribly unfair and we feel angry or shocked or inconsolable.  For me, it seems terrifyingly final.  But there is nothing we can do about it.  Just like little Topper and like Orlando and Frazier (our dear old dog, who died three years ago), we must enjoy the taste of our food, and the joy of doing our best, and the love of our family, and invest ourselves fully in each moment that we have.

Wish for Good Health!

Gloriosky, was I sick on Christmas Day!  I woke up feeling rather queasy and got through the gift opening and getting the turkey into the oven (and walked my good girl, Daisy, who gets a walk out of me, even if I'm on death's door) and then I felt really awful and got into bed.  I was sick to my stomach and all achy and shaky (not a poem, but a rhyme) and was out of commission for the remainder of the day.  Mike had to finish things off Christmas dinner-wise, and he said it felt just like a regular week day, trying to get the meal on, whereas usually on Christmas, or one of these special days, we work the kitchen together, each of us taking care of what the other person has assigned us as our specialities.   I was so sick, I couldn't even read in bed.  I took my book, optimistically, but just slept and groaned and was sick as a dog the entire day.  Lying there, I thought when I was a little girl I wanted to be famous so people would recognize me and be impressed by me, and then I wanted to be rich, because I always think a lot of money makes you safer (some studies suggest that it does, to a certain extent, but not completely.  Of course, you can live in better neighbourhoods and have access to personal trainers and excellent food and a good education which makes you less likely to indulge in dangerous things like smoking, but we all have anecdotes about rich people who became drug addicts and lost their money in all sorts of foolish ways.)  Then, I just wanted to find work that I found important and fulfilling (surprisingly, in this, I have been successful!  Thanks to all of my lovely students!)  But after that horrible day of feeling so awful, I realize there is nothing more important than our health.  Without that, all the other things mean very little.

Everyone in the family has been sick -- Mike and Anthony were laid up yesterday, so William and I represented the family at Boxing Day dinner at my sister-in law's.  Everyone is still really sad about losing Greg earlier this month, so it was good for us to get together but there was a big place empty where Greg should have been standing with a big plate of turkey and a few choice quips thrown in when people said something absurd.  Time does heal sadness like this and next year, we will be able to talk about him and remember funny stories about things he did and what a good guy he was, but now it is just terrible that he's not here.

William wants me to write that we exchanged his French horn for an alto saxophone.  He joined the band at middle school in September and was assigned the French horn, which was very difficult and which he didn't like.  He has been nagging his teacher ever since to let him switch, and finally, Mr. H. gave in and said he could change over the holidays, so we went to Long and McQuade and got a saxophone today.  William was very excited in the car on the way home and took out the instrument the second we got in the door and started playing and has played it all evening.  It isn't easy to learn any instrument and he has a lot of catching up to do, but if he plays as much over the next week as he did today, he'll be fine.  I wish he'd invest this much energy in the piano.

Peace on earth, goodwill towards men!

I have finally finished all the hullaballoo that "has" to be done before Christmas day!  Shopping, endless shopping (and most of you know how much I love that!) and hundreds of "last minutes".  I made gingerbread today (and only burned one cookie sheet of them) and wrapped all the gifts and did my obligatory visiting and bought those last few things that were on someone's list but got left out (William's knitting needles, for example) and now tonight, we can sit down and watch "A Christmas Story" with a deep sigh!  We stay home for Christmas and open gifts and have a turkey with just us -- we'll likely be in our pajamas until dinner time comes around and then dress up in our new clothes and toast the holidays around a nice glossy turkey (yes, I can cook a turkey, very nicely, mind you!)  Mike and I will watch "Scrooge" with Alastair Sim after the young'uns are tucked away, dreaming of sugar plums (or Skittles).  My favourite part of this, one of my very favourite movies, is Michael Hordern's Jacob Marley.  He rattles his chains with such aplomb and really eats up the scenery with his performance.  What a wonderful "out there" actor!  Kathleen Harrison, as Mrs. Dilber, is also outstanding in an outstanding cast.  Scrooge gives her a gold sovereign at Christmas and she says "wha' for?" and he asks her to guess and she looks at him with great suspicion and says, "to keep me mouth shut?"  She's just lovely.

Whether or not you celebrate Christmas, it is a lovely time of year -- the darkness comes on so quickly and we have lots of time to sit together and talk and read and dream and burn a candle or two to ward off the end of the day and the end of the year. I wish you all peace and goodwill and whatever there is that makes you happy.  Perhaps, like Scrooge, we think we don't deserve it, but we should be grateful for all our bounty, whether we do or no.

 

Two More Movies!

Wow!  It's amazing what you can do when you're not at Value Village every waking moment buying costumes!  I saw two movies yesterday (and read and went Christmas shopping - aargh! -- and cheered Anthony's hockey team to victory -- all that good stuff).

We had family movie night and watched "42" about Jackie Robinson, who was the player who broke the colour barrier in Major League Baseball.  I have read the reviews that said that Harrison Ford stole the show and the guy who played Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) had to be the "strong, silent type" and suffer in silence.  I do agree that Harrison Ford was terrific as Branch Rickey, but I think that Chadwick Boseman was not just the silent sufferer.  Apparently, Rickey told Jackie Robinson that he would have to control his temper and that people would do everything they could to rile him and distract him and take him out of his game, so he made a deal that he would make his point on the field and he did.  I "wikipedia'd" the real story of Jackie Robinson after we watched the movie and a lot of it actually happened, like the barrage of hatred from the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies and the public support from Peewee Reese in Cincinnati and the motivations behind Branch Rickey's determination to desegregate Major League Baseball.  It is a powerful story and very shocking from my perspective.  It is hard to believe that people could be so hateful and Mike found it really disturbing.  I wonder what it's like now in the Southern States.  It must be better, but I wonder.  I have no desire to visit there.

I also watched "Carnage" which is based on the play "God of Carnage" directed by Roman Polanski.  Two couples meet to discuss an incident of bullying which occurred between their two sons.  It was performed by the White Rock players this year in the Fraser Valley District theatre festival and I think I remember hearing that, at first, the company didn't realize that it was a comedy.  It would be easy to take it seriously because the two couples reveal a lot about themselves over the course of the afternoon and, in the end, neither marriage comes across as being particularly successful -- the subject matter is rather serious:  which boy is actually the instigator of the conflict?  are people inherently violent?  is civilization a guise?  are parents the root of their children's character?  can we approach conflict rationally?  I think, with comedy and serious drama, the main focus should be playing your character honestly and letting the audience decide whether it's funny or not.  It isn't a belly-laugh kind of comedy anyway.  It is a comedy based on the truth of the characters, but there are certainly strong comic elements -- the lawyer's attachment to his Blackberry, the abandonment of the hamster, the writer's prissy superiority, the cobbler, etc.  I really enjoyed it, although it is quite static (often the case when a play becomes a movie) and you wonder why Zachary's parents keep staying, even though they are increasingly annoyed by Ethan's parents and they both have jobs and say they can't stay.  Anthony watched it intermittently and when it was near the end, he said, "so nothing has really happened at all through the whole movie?"  I guess from his 14 year old point of view, if nothing blows up or nobody dies, nothing happens.

The movie reminds me of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" which is also about two couples (Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Sandy Dennis and George Segal) who get together in a rather civil atmosphere and gradually find things descending into rage and chaos.  It is in black and white (by choice, all you people who think that colour is essential for a modern movie - tsk!) and is a hoot for actors to play and ends in one of those great absurdist Edward Albee (the playwright) flourishes with a surprise baby who may or may not exist.  Read "The American Dream" by Edward Albee if you want a shock.

Dog Day Afternoon

On a snowy evening, I watched a movie about a hostage taking at a Brooklyn bank in the heat of a summer afternoon.   Two hapless bank robbers (played by Al Pacino and the great John Cazale) find themselves stuck in the bank with a crowd of hostages.  It is a great movie and Al Pacino is absolutely terrific.  I find him a bit over the top now, but as a young man, he was an electrifying actor.  The little twitches and the wild reactions that now seem like affectations were really new and radical back then and he seemed like an actor who would do anything to inhabit a role.  Charles Durning plays a cop (one of the roles in which he is always cast) and he's great, too.  Of course, Charles Durning is one of those actors who has always looked old, so no matter how good he is, he never gets to play the romantic lead -- one of the limits of physicality for actors.  The scene in which Al Pacino comes out of the bank and realizes that the crowd is coming over to his side and starts chanting "Attica! Attica!" is an iconic scene of American filmdom.  (You'll have to google "Attica prison riot" to get the reference.)

John Cazale only made six movies.  He died of cancer after making "The Deer Hunter" and apparently, the director filmed his scenes first, because they all knew he didn't have long to live.  He doesn't say much in "Dog Day Afternoon", but it is a compelling performance.  Al Pacino's character, Sonny, is trying to figure out how to get them out of the bank safely, and he is negotiating with the police for a helicopter and says they want a jet to take them to . . . Algeria!  Then he looks at Sal, John Cazale's character.  "What country do you want to go to, Sal?"  There is a long pause as Sal tries to think.  "Wyoming," he says softly.  Apparently, this was an improvisation of Cazale's.  The script had the character say nothing.  Sidney Lumet, the director, loved it and thought it was funny and sad.  It is one of the most memorable moments of the movie.  He was in "The Godfather" movies as well.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year

Tomorrow is our annual Breakfast with Santa.  It is a time-honoured tradition and I hope you're able to pop in and enjoy some of the entertainment and the breakfast prepared by the kind folks from the PAC, who are getting up BEFORE the crack of dawn to start cooking!  We teachers have been stressing over "The Twelve Days of Christmas" for a while and hope it goes off well.  I usually do the "partridge in a pear tree", but I try to do something different with it every year.  I've got a plan for this year, and I'm not sure how it's going to go, but "nothing ventured, nothing gained" -- the risk is all!

After our last day, it will be pleasant to spend a couple of weeks away from school.  It is good to sleep in and relax and not have a schedule and see our families and friends and have lots of down time.  When we get back, it will be a headlong rush to the end of the semester!  I'm looking forward to reading and taking leisurely walks with my dog and hanging out with my kids and my husband.  I wish you all a wonderful holiday and look forward to seeing you all back at it in 2014.

Advance the scene!

Theatre sports tournament is up -- all week long!  Remember the big rule of theatre sports, which is to advance the scene!  Build on the ideas of others.

Second rule?  DON'T ARGUE WITH THE JUDGES!

Be sure to bring donations for the food bank.  They especially want baby formula!

Tomorrow is Whiteout Day, which means wear white (I think).

What? A Play Towards? I'll be an auditor, an actor, too, if I see fit!

Well, the play closed on Friday night.  We had a great crowd and received lots of words of appreciation from everyone who came to see it.  Thanks to all of you who came!  There is nothing like live theatre, in my opinion.  "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is a beautiful play, wonderfully constructed, full of great characters and memorable poetry, but SEEING it is world's apart from reading it.

I think I heard that Monday is the beginning of holiday spirit week and it is pajama day on Monday.  I will give bonuses for anyone wearing pajamas.  I don't know what the other days are but we'll find out on Monday.  More in the spirit of Christmas is the idea of giving, especially of giving to people who really need it.  The food drive is such an easy way to help.  Just bring non-perishable food to D Block and you'll have done something to help someone.  I believe there is a blanket drive going on as well and a number of worthy causes that could use your help, so find out about them and see what you can do.  When I see a homeless person begging on the street, I tell them to go to the Kettle Friendship Society at 1725 Venables Street in Vancouver.  They are open 365 days of the year and help people struggling with mental illness (many of whom end up out on the street).  They run a drop-in centre, a health clinic, a legal clinic, a rehab program and all sorts of other efforts that help people who are struggling get back on their feet.  I always ask people to donate to them if they want to give me a gift.

This week is going to be our theatre sports tournaments.  Come with a willingness to improvise and laugh.  I have sorted out your teams and we will finish up any loose ends as far as performances go on Monday and then jump in with both feet on Tuesday!

I am behind my time . . .

Sorry I'm late in posting the journal topics -- as you can imagine, things have been rather hectic with the play.  I am personally very pleased with all the performances so far and am very proud of everyone in the cast and crew for all their hard work and great accomplishments.  We have one more performance tonight.  If you haven't had a chance to see it, please try to come.  It's funny and our audiences have been pretty positive so far.

Grade 10 and 9 journals:  Comment on the play.  Don't be general --- it means very little to say "everything was great".  Choose something specific to write about.  One performance, one scene, the idea of the audience moving from place to place, the music, the lighting, the costumes, something that you can write about in detail.

Grade 8:  Try to see the play.  If you absolutely cannot, write about a live performance you saw.  Choose one aspect of the performance and write about it in detail.  If it is not "A Midsummer Night's Dream", tell what it was (a play, a concert, a dance performance, a magic show) and describe it in detail.

One Man in His Time Plays Many Parts

Grade 10's:  You will perform the scenes from "I Seek You" tomorrow.  This includes the scenes you were assigned and also the one you wrote as an ending.  Know your lines and play characters.  It is not enough just to recite perfectly -- you need to convince us you are the character.

Try to remember to bring your five dollars for the play -- we will be going on Wednesday.  You must be in the lounge at 1 -- the play will start then.  It will run until 3:05.  If you get picked up by your parents, make sure you tell them the time.  It is not appropriate for you to leave before the play is over.  You must not use your phone during the play.  You must be focused on the performance.  It is a comedy, so hopefully you'll find it funny.  Don't be afraid to laugh.  You may interact with the actors, but remember, they are playing characters, not themselves, so don't expect them to respond to their names.

Grade 9's:  Those of you who have not performed your Shakespeare scenes must do so on Monday.  You will be going to see Midsummer Night's Dream on Thursday.  See above (Grade 10's)) for instructions on what is expected of you.  Many of your classmates are involved in the show, so be sure to be encouraging to them.

Grade 8's:  Good work on the fairy tale mimes!  We are leaving mime behind now and will be doing some scenes in which you can talk.  Don't forget the lessons that mime and tableau have taught us -- that theatre is visual and you must be alert to what things look like on stage.  Your facial expressions and body language are all important!

Cast and crew of Midsummer Night's Dream:  I hope you all know your lines!  You can't call for a line at the dress rehearsal or during the performance -- you need to know what you're doing.  Crew--wear black for every performance.  Tomorrow we will do a dress rehearsal -- everyone must attend or you can't help with the play.

And the best actor Oscar goes to . . .

Journals for Friday, December 6

Grade 10:  Which character in "I Seek You" are you playing?  Can you identify with the character?  Think of four adjectives that describe him or her.  What in the script suggests those adjectives?

Grade 9:  Which Shakespeare scene(s) impressed you the most?  Explain why.  Which single actor in the class captures his/her character the best?  Explain why.  Which was your favourite scene to perform?  Why?

Grade 8:  Which fairy tale performance was the best?  Give three reasons for choosing the way you do.

ATTENTION:
 Grade 9's:  Tomorrow we will meet in Mr. Adams' room (Room 500).  We will do journals and theatre sports as we always do.

Discern'st thou aught in that?

Grade 9's:  Tomorrow, you will present your three Shakespeare scenes.  Know your lines.  Think of stage business before you start the scene.  Be sure you understand the subtext of the scene.  Listen to your partner when he or she speaks -- that will help you know what to say or do.

Grade 8's:  Your fairy tale performances are due on Thursday.  You need instrumental music to set a mood for your scene.  Make sure you are clear on the story.

Grade 10's:  You need to be working on the lines from "I Seek You".

A and D Blocks:  You will be able to see "A Midsummer Night's Dream" on Wednesday or Thursday of next week.  Please bring $5 to pay for your ticket.  If you cannot afford it, just let me know.  My priority is that you see the play.  But the money does go to a good cause -- it funds the next play by the drama club and helps pay for scholarships to deserving Drama students, so if you can afford it, please pony up!  You must report to the lounge at 1 p.m. precisely -- the play starts there!  A Block -- you will attend on Wednesday, December 11 and D Block -- you will attend on Thursday, December 12.  If you are already going with another class, just let me know.  I don't want you to pay twice.

Midsummer Night's Dream cast and crew:  Our next run through is Friday after school.  Be there promptly at 3 and we can start right away!  You must know your lines (no books!!!).  If you don't, I'll be forced to cut your part to a minimum. 

In general, you must react.  If you are not speaking, you need to look engaged.  Don't just stand there waiting for your lines.  Look like you're living in the situation.

Many hands make light work!

Drama Club:  I hope some of you read this today!  I don't want to pester Rachel on the weekend, but if anyone reads this perhaps you can pass it on to the appropriate person.

Can each person in the cast bring a hanger for his or her own costume?  The boys who get married need dress pants and shoes -- do you have them?  I believe we have neckties and white shirts in the prop room.  I got wedding clothes for the girls.  I have a costume for Theseus (including some hokey looking armour, which will look nice with a cape, I think).

Has anyone seen my swords anywhere?  I have four metal swords, but there is only one in my office right now.  You know how people come in all the time and "borrow" things . . . I wonder if someone forgot to return them.  If you see them, let me know.

I hope you're all studying your scripts -- no books tomorrow!  If you can, pop in at 10 to help paint.  I hope to see everyone at 1:20 to get ready to run the play at 1:30!

Have a nice Sunday.

The fog comes in on little cat feet. . .

That's the beginning of a lovely poem by Carl Sandburg.  It isn't a long poem, but it's very evocative of how fog creeps in just like it has in Port Moody today.

Drama Club:  Great work on Friday!  Lots of you know lots of your lines.  Get off book by Monday's run.  You can't really act with a script in your hand.  We will time the show on Monday, so we don't want to stop and start.  I want it to run 2 hours and no more, so make sure we don't have to wait for you to come on stage!  Bring anything you might think will help you costume-wise.  I picked up a few things today and will make a final list of what we still need after Monday's run.

We will rehearse the Bergomask dance for the rude mechanicals on Tuesday at lunch.  There will be no rehearsal on Tuesday after school as there is a staff meeting in the theatre then.  On Wednesday at lunch, we will rehearse scenes with Titania, Bottom and the fairies.  After school on Wednesday, we will rehearse Theseus, Hippolyta, attendants, Philostrate.  Thursday's rehearsals will be announced after Monday's run.  Friday after school we will run the play again WITHOUT STOPPING.  Monday, December 9 is our dress rehearsal with lights, sound and everything!

Then the performances begin!  You need to encourage all your friends and family to attend a show.  It's more fun to play to a good sized audience, so each of you should make sure that everyone knows how good the show is and how fun it will be to attend.

On Monday, Rachel and Noa will be hosting a crew painting party in the theatre.  Many hands make light work, so do your best to come and help.

Canada Reads!

The CBC sponsors this great forum for readers every year.  Five Canadian celebrities present books they love and argue about which one everyone in Canada should read.  The discussions are really lively and all the books are probably worth reading.

This year's list includes:
Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan (about a blues musician)
Cockroach by Rawi Hage (about being poor in Montreal)
Annabel by Kathleen Winter (about a child who is born as a hermaphrodite)
The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood (a companion to her previous book called Oryx and Crake, which explores the aftermath of a world-wide biological disaster)
The Orenda by Joseph Boyden (which is set in New France in the late 1600's and explores the early days of contact between French Jesuits and the Iroquois)

I haven't read all the books, but I would always recommend Margaret Atwood -- she is one of Canada's preeminent writers and both Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood were terrific books that you couldn't put down.  They both make you think of the disasters we're facing if we continue to follow our cavalier attitude to the natural world and the environment in which we live.

I am presently reading The Orenda.  I read Joseph Boyden's previous book, Three Day Road, which is about aboriginal snipers in World War I, and it was one of the greatest books I've ever read.  The Orenda is a very compelling story, but horrifically violent.  Some of the images are staying with me, even though I wish they wouldn't.  The book is very disturbing in its descriptions of how people torture other people in the hopes of finding peace for themselves.  I would recommend it, but warn you that it is very upsetting to read.

I Seek You(r) Journals!

Don't forget to do your journals!  I don't mark things like spelling or grammar (as long as I can figure out what you're saying).  I'm just interested in your ideas.  If you answer all the questions, you will earn an easy 10%!!!

Drama 10:  In detail, explain what you think happens at the end of the play, "I Seek You".  What things in the scenes we are performing foreshadow your ending?

Remember, we will perform the three scenes assigned, plus your own ending on December 9.

Drama 9:  Have you ever been in a fight with someone?  Who started it?  How did it feel?  (Actors use a technique called "emotional memory" to give their scenes believability and truth -- they try to remember an experience in which they felt an emotion which they are required to act.  Then they think of the physical and mental aspects of that emotion and try to recreate them on stage.)

Have you ever been afraid that you might see something supernatural?  (like the ghost in "Hamlet")  How did that feel?

Remember, we will perform all three Shakespeare scenes on Wednesday of next week.

Drama 8:  Which fairy tale did your group choose?  Why did the group choose that particular story?  Who is playing which role?  How will you create a character?  (Actors create characters in a variety of ways:  using physical traits (limp, hunch back, etc); facial expressions (evil smile, raised eyebrows, frowns, etc.); costumes (including shoes), hair styles, makeup, and stage business (doing housework, cleaning something, helping someone less fortunate, dancing with glee, etc.)

Remember, we will perform your fairy tale mimes on Thursday of next week.

Drama Club:  We are in the home stretch of the show!  We will work hard over the next week and a half, but it will all pay off in the end!  Learn your lines.  I want you off book on Monday, December 2!  We will run through the play at 1:30 p.m. on December 2.  Make note of the rest of the rehearsal schedule on the theatre bulletin board.  If you have a costume piece at home that you think would work for your character, bring it to rehearsal!  "Take pains, be perfect!  Adieu!"

Remember, opening night is December 10!  Tell your friends and relations!

"Rider Pride"

Many of you know I come from Saskatchewan.  You can take the girl out of the prairie, but you can't take the prairie out of the girl.  I still think of myself as being "from Sasktachewan" even though I've lived in BC for a lot longer than I did in Sasktachewan.

I watched the Grey Cup Football game today, which pitted the Sasktachewan Roughriders against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.  The Saskatchewan Roughriders team is really important to people in Sasktachewan.  There are no other professional sports teams and so people are really behind them, even expatriates like myself.  You can imagine how happy I was that the Riders carried the day decisively!  Go Riders, go!

Don't forget that tomorrow our last spirit week of the year begins with "Sports" Day!  I'll be wearing my Rider green, you can be sure.

Parent interviews are on Wednesday and Thursday.  If your parents have questions about your achievement or anything else in the course, please encourage them to call for an appointment to see me.  You are welcome to come along to the interviews as well.

Our production of "Midsummer Night's Dream" is quickly approaching.  If you are interested in helping backstage, please come to one of the rehearsals after school this week and ask Rachel or Noa or me if there is anything you can do to help.  Our full run through will be on Friday, and if you want to be involved you need to be there.  The run through will probably take from 3 until after 5.  Opening night is December 10 at 7 and closing night is December 13.   We will do one additional evening on December 12 and two matinees at 1 p.m. on December 11 and 12.

Can I Trust You?

Today in Drama 9, we tried a trust exercise.  Ask yourself if you can be trusted.  Can people depend on you?  We didn't do particularly well in the trust exercise.  As is often the case, people were too easily distracted and talking too much and not taking their responsibility seriously. 

Trust is a very important component in theatre.  When you work together on a scene, your acting partner might want to explore some very deep emotional space and needs to be able to trust that you will be willing to go to that space as well.  You need to be able to try a variety of things in drama class without worrying about people making fun of you.  It can be scary to try to be funny -- what if people don't laugh?  But if you can't try things and let yourself go a little, you'll never be able to create truth and beauty on stage.

Think about how you did today.  Did you try to instill feelings of trust in the person who took the risk to be in the centre of the circle?  Did you take the exercise seriously?  This might extend beyond the walls of the theatre.  If someone trusts you with a secret, do you keep it to yourself?  I think we all want to think of ourselves as trustworthy, good friends, dependable and responsible.  Think of how you can cultivate those qualities in yourself.

The Way It Is!

Grade 9's:  Practice your Shakespeare scenes out loud to learn the lines!

Grade 8's:  Think about what each piece of music suggests as a story.

Grade 10's:  How did your Sheepdog video go?  You could look at the actual video now and decide whether you like it or not.  I don't.  I don't think it fits at all.

Journal Topics for Friday:

Grade 9's:  Choose one of your Shakespeare scenes.  What is the scene about?  What mood are you trying to capture?  Which character are you playing?  What does your character want?  What obstacles does your character face?  If you could set your scene in a specific time and place, where would you set it?  Explain why.

Grade 8's:  Are you good at working in a group?  Explain why or why not.  Do you think you have any leadership qualities?  Explain what they are if you have any.  What makes a good leader?

Grade 10's:  Think of a song you like.  Who performs the song?  Write a scenario for a video of the song.  (That means tell what would happen in the video.)  Make your scenario detailed (scenes, colours you might use, facial expressions for the actors, metaphors.)

Do You Bite Your Thumb At Us, Sir?

Grade 9's:  Bring your script to class from now until we perform the Shakespeare scenes.  Read the lines out loud, or you will never commit them to memory.  Think of what the characters are saying.  Have a clear idea of what they want in the scene and what obstacles they face.  Make sure your voice rings out loud and clear.  You can't be afraid to speak clearly in Shakespeare.  The language is beautiful and we want to hear each and every word.

I will want to see you walk through the first scene tomorrow.  You may use your script, but if you can try it without the script to see how much you know.  Remember, I'd like you to think of stage business that relates somehow to what you're saying.

DON'T USE AN ENGLISH ACCENT.

Everyone:  Remember, your journals are due today.

All the world's a stage!

Welcome to all the new grade 8's!  I think we've had a good start to the term and I'm looking forward to working with you over the next few months!  We will continue with mime over the next couple of weeks.  Remember, in a mime you must pay attention to detail and exaggerate your emotions.  Think of ways to communicate with your audience beyond words.

You will be expected to memorize the following passage from Shakespeare's "As You Like It":

All the world's a stage
And all the men and women merely players.
They have their exits and their entrances
And one man in his time plays many parts.

We will practice the passage together in class.

Journal #1:  What should Ms. Kosar know about you?  Include any experience you've had in drama before (plays you've been in, activities you engaged in when you were in elementary school, public speaking events, classes you've taken, etc.).  Do you have stage fright?  (That's a perfectly normal way to feel.  We will work to alleviate that feeling in class.)  Do you work well with others?  Have you ever performed in front of an audience?  (acting, playing an instrument or singing, dancing, doing magic)  You can also include anything else you think might help Ms. Kosar get to know you better.

Grade 10's:  What do the lyrics for "The Way It Is" make you think about?  What story are you using for your video?  Do you think it will work now that you've run through it in front of the class?  What can do you to get it to work (better)?

Grade 9's:  Have you ever said "I hate you" to someone?  What made you say it?  Were you sorry about saying it?  Is it hard for you to express your feelings (positive or negative) to other people?  Explain your answer.  Did you like performing the "I hate you" scene?  Why or why not?

Under the Text

What is subtext?  It's what is going on UNDERNEATH what you say.  When you say a line like "I hate you", you might mean "I hate you", but you also might mean "I love you, but you hurt me" or "I love you but I'm really angry with you!"  Have you ever said "I hate you" to someone?  Did you mean it?

There's a saying, "hate is only love that's missed its way"!

"I Hate You"

Grade 9 dialogue:

A:  I hate you!
B:  I hate you even more!
A:  I hate you because you don't care about anything.
B:  I don't care.
A:  Hey, listen to me for one minute.
B:  No, you listen to me.
A:  I don't want to.
(Pause.)
B:  Okay, then don't.
A: Okay.

Lest We Forget

Thanks to everyone who took part in the Remembrance Day ceremony at school on Friday.  It was very moving and much appreciated by me and my class.  (I found it so inspiring, I went to see it a second time on my prep.)  The string group was a terrific addition.  The choice of "Nearer My God to Thee" was very appropriate and several people I know shed more than a few tears while listening to it.  If you can, go to your local ceremony tomorrow.  Remember, those who forget their history are doomed to repeat it.

I have to bid a sad farewell to my grade 8 class as our term together is over.  I'm sure Maverick will miss you all as well.  Just remember to hand in any missing journals on Tuesday please.  (And if you have anything for our nearly full Operation Christmas Child box, just drop by the theatre.)  Best of luck in Art next term.  I'm sure you'll all do great and really enjoy your time with Mr. Mathieu.

Drama 9 -- We've got to see the last of the heritage plays on Tuesday!  Be ready to go no matter what.  Try to learn from the groups who have already performed.  Stay in character and keep going no matter what.  Keep the scenes moving -- don't spend too much time changing sets or running around backstage.  Speak loudly and clearly, cheat to the audience and don't be afraid to be dramatic!

Drama 10 -- We're working on the video for "The Way It Is".  Try to think of a story that is told by the lyrics of the song.  Try not to look at the video that the Sheepdogs created (that's the band performing the song).  It won't help you much anyway -- I don't think their video uses the song that well (just my opinion).  I would like your performance to use the rhythm of the music.  Try to move in time to the beat of the song, even if you're acting out a romantic story or a story about bullying or whatever!

Journals after performances

We didn't do journals because we have yet to perform!  But all your journals will be about your most recent performances, so we must see them before we can write.  As you watch the other groups perform, think about these questions.

Grade 8:  Which group did the best "Creation of the World" performance?  Why was it the best? What did other groups do differently from your group?  Which ideas worked better?  Explain your answer.  You all had the same story -- which one will you remember?  Why?

Grade 9:  Which heritage performance was the best?  Why?  What problems did you encounter as you prepared your own play?  How did you (and your group) solve them?  What did you learn from this project?

Grade 10:  Which commedia dell'arte performance was the best?  Why?  What will you remember about it?  Comment on the other groups and your own.  Were they funny?  Did they do all the things that were assigned (names for characters, jokes, current events commentary, themes of romance and money, slapstick)?  Which scene was most memorable?

These are your journal themes for completion after performance.

Happy Hallowe'en!

The halls of Steveston-London are full of crazy characters and scary ghouls today!  Kudos to all of you who put together the imagination and the effort to create a costume.  I really had no idea what to wear myself this year.  My creativity seemed to have reached a stop sign.  My son decided to go as the "headless horseman" and that took all my ingenuity!  It turned out really well in the end.  He is all in black, with his old Dracula cape from last year and used his hockey shoulder pads to build up his body and hide part of his head.  We made a neck stump out of an old Easter basket and covered it with bandages and fake blood -- the neck stump fits over his head.  He was pretty happy with it in the end, although he doubted me as we put it together.

I decided to be Elsa Lanchester's "Bride of Frankenstein".  I looked at her online and it seemed like something I could do.  Of course, I have an advantage, because I have the whole prop room at my disposal.  I picked out a nasty old dress and some white fabric for her outfit.  The hair and makeup is always the part that impresses people, but it is very easy to do.  I sprayed my hair with that temporary hair colour and backcombed it within an inch of its life.  Then I applied the two white streaks at my temple.  I used clown white for my face, and gave myself the shocking eyebrows and the stitches at my neck and there you have it!

The English department came up with a great theme -- dumb ways to die.  Mr. Price is a guy who did his own electrical installation in his house (always hire a skilled tradesperson!), Ms. Matsuzaki sold both her kidneys on Craig's List, and Ms. Mah dressed up as a moose in hunting season!  It's fun to walk around the school today and see what people thought of for costumes.  Some are really amazing!

If you go out trick-or-treating tonight, be extra careful.  Don't get involved in any crazy fireworks play.  They are super dangerous.  And watch for cars!  Some people are in such a hurry, they don't really look to see if there are people trying to cross the street -- you have to watch out for them.

Grade 10's and 8's - sorry I missed your classes.  I had to go to the doctor.  Be ready to perform tomorrow.

Grade 9's -- have your lighting instructions ready and write out the order of the scenes and what everyone has to do to change your sets.

I hope you all went to the dance and had a terrific time!  And I hope to see you all in costume tomorrow!  Let your imaginations run wild!

Dearly Departed Redux

Well, our revels have ended at Evergreen Cultural Centre and the play has closed.  It has been great fun and a lot of hard work.  It was a very funny play and the best thing about it was that there were lots of interesting characters to play and everyone did his or her best with what they had.  A couple of people only had a couple of scenes, but they made the best of it and created memorable moments on stage.  When I first read the play, I thought it was a very silly piece of fluff, but having worked on it over the last month or so, I realize it did have some really lovely moments in it.  The relationship between the two brothers was very real -- they hated each other in a way, but still wanted to help each other and offer support to each other.   The widow initially wanted to put "Mean and Surly" on her dead husband's gravestone, but realized that their life together had its ups as well as its downs.  Junior's speech about feeling like a man, his pride at being a "businessman", just like his daddy, is quite poignant in these days of economic downturns and high unemployment.  Well, it's over now and like all theatre, is just gone.  Nothing left except the memories.  They will be fond ones.

A Word or Two Before You Go

You are all coming to the end of your most recent projects:  Grade 10's -- comedia del'arte, perform on Wednesday of next week;  Grade 9's -- Heritage Drama, perform on Wednesday of next week; Grade 8's, perform "The Creation of the World" on Monday of next week.

Make sure you use your practice time wisely.  Don't waste time arguing endlessly.  If you have a personality conflict with someone in your group, try to figure out a way to work around it.  The theatre is full of difficult people, some of whom are very talented.  You need to find a way to get the work done.  Perhaps if you ask them what they want to do and really listen to them, that can be a step in finding a way to cooperate.  Don't just stand in the way of someone else's ideas.  Before you discount someone's idea, try it to see if it works.  If you allow yourself to argue over every little thing, you will be like a dog chasing its own tail.  You'll get nowhere.

Play your character.  Make sure you match your facial expression with your mood.

Think of what the stage looks like to the audience.  Clear all the chairs and props, etc. off the stage and keep only what you need in your scene.  Use the curtains if you like.  Play your scene as far downstage as possible and ALWAYS cheat to the audience.  Project your voices.  If you cannot be heard or understood, your performance is lost.

Remember, music is a very helpful tool in theatre.  It can help the audience respond in the way that you want.

Dearly Departed

Thanks to everyone who's made the trek to see the show I'm in called "Dearly Departed".  It is still on at the Evergreen Cultural Centre in Coquitlam for another week with shows in the evening at 8 and one on Sunday at 2.  It's quite a laugh riot, I think, about a family in the southern United States planning their uncle's funeral.  I'm really enjoying playing Marguerite, who is a nasty old woman who drives everyone crazy by quoting the Bible at them.

It's great fun to be in a play (and also a little nerve wracking).  You really feel close to the other actors and work together really hard to create the best performance you possibly can.  Our director, Dale Kelly, is very inventive and I have learned so much about staging and set design and lighting and sound ideas from him.  As I said before, he has made the set changes just as interesting as the play with a great sequence called "the parade of the coffins" (you have to see it to appreciate it) and a slow motion chase scene and a set piece that really looks like a car, using flashlights and people dressed in choir gowns.  The theatre is such a magical place!

Midterm self-assessment

Since we're approaching the midway part of the semester (in November) and interim report cards will soon be issued, it's important to think about how well you are doing in drama.  What are my expectations of you in drama (for example, I want you to stay in character on stage, I want you to stay with your group during rehearsal times)?  Try to come up with at least four things that are expected of you in class.  Now, decide how you are doing in class.  Are you living up to my expectations?  Explain.  What can you do to improve?

This is the journal for all grades.

I have nothing to declare but my genius!

It is Oscar Wilde's birthday today!  He was a great playwright and a great wit.  He said the above (when he was going through Customs to enter the United States) and he also said,  "The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about!"  These are called epigrams -- pithy sayings.

He also wrote "The Importance of Being Earnest" which is, earnestly, one of the funniest plays ever written.  I would go on but no one can compete with Oscar Wilde for wit or a well-turned phrase.

Creation of the World

Grade 10's:  You are working on the comedia del'arte scenes.  I want to see you creating clear distinct characters.  You need to think about physical and vocal ways to express your character's identity.  Don't play yourself!  Costumes, make-up and hair can really help your character here.  Think of what sort of clothing your character would wear.  That helps the audience see you as someone else immediately.

Grade 8's:  You are working on "The Creation of the World".  A myth can be seen as a metaphorical way of describing a natural event.  Think of how you can use costumes, music, mime, tableau, dance and choral speaking to give your audience a memorable experience.

Grade 9's:  While working on your heritage drama presentations, be sure to plan an organized series of transitions from story to story and from story to framework.  When professional theatres present their plays, they practice the scene changes as well as the scenes themselves.  I am in a play right now ("Dearly Departed" running at the Evergreen Theatre in Coquitlam) and the director has spent a lot of time and effort in making the scene changes almost as entertaining as the scenes!

Staying in character and concentrating is so important on stage.  You are trying to create a sense that what happens on stage is actually happening.  The audience "suspends its disbelief" (the people in the audience know that your play isn't actually happening, but they set that knowledge aside in order to fully participate in the performance) while you perform, but if you are giggling at your own jokes and smiling when you are angry or frightened, the audience sees you and not your character.

How shall your houseless heads and unfed sides defend you from seasons such as these

Don't forget to bring "soap for hope" on Wednesday of next week.  Think of the young people (who are much like you) who find themselves trying to survive on the street or "couch-surfing" (depending on the "kindness of strangers"), especially on the Thanksgiving weekend when we are all enjoying the bounty of groaning tables, and the warmth and support of friends and family.

Notice the sign at the Gilbert entrance of the school?  "Be grateful."  It's good advice.  People who appreciate their own good fortune are happier and live longer!  We all have lots to be grateful for -- our health, the chance to attend a good school, the safety and security we enjoy in Richmond and in Canada, the beauty of the natural world.  Appreciate what you have!

Your Play Needs No Excuse

Journals:

Grade 10:  Describe a comic scene (from a movie, TV show or play) that you've seen.  What made it funny?  Provide details.  What can you learn from this scene that you could incorporate into your comedia del'arte scene?

Grade 9:  Which second heritage scene (another group's, not your own) did you like the best?  Explain why.  If they asked you for constructive criticism, what would you say?

Grade 8:  Who is a good public speaker?  Explain why you chose the person you did.  It can be someone famous or someone you know personally.

Theatre Sports tomorrow!  The most important thing in theatre sports and the thing you need to take away from improvisation is that you must advance the scene.  Don't ever say "no" to another actor's offer on stage.  Try to build on the ideas of the other actors.  Tina Fey (who was on "Saturday Night Live" and then produced, wrote and performed in "30 Rock") says if the other actor points his finger at you and says ominously, "I have a gun", you mustn't say, "that's not a gun. That's your finger.  You're pointing your finger at me."  Instead, you should say, "of course, you have.  That's the gun I gave you for Christmas."  Not only have you accepted that the other actor has a gun, but you've added to the idea with the Christmas present of a gun.  You can look up Tina Fey's other rules of improv online.  She's a very funny writer.

Show and Tell

Grade 8's:  Remember that your "show and tell" speeches will be performed on Wednesday.  Practice your speech at home.  The speech should take this form -- introduce the item you're showing -- you can describe it, and tell how you acquired it or why it is important to you.  Then share an anecdote (a little story) about the item.  It should be something that engages the audience.  It can be dramatic or funny or surprising or sad -- eliciting an emotion can really help an audience stay focused on your talk.  You must speak clearly and project your voice, just like you did when you recited "All the world's a stage".  Try to avoid colloquial speech (like "you know", "like", "so") -- this is an informal speech, but using these words incorrectly can make your speech seem unprepared.  When you present your speech, plant your feet and don't move around too much because it can be distracting for the audience.  Make eye contact with the audience, and try not to giggle if your friends are looking back at you.  You need to appear to be well prepared and confident about what you are saying, so that your audience can relax.

Grade 10's:  Think about how your named character could appear in scenes other than the one you are presenting.  How can you exaggerate the character's qualities without hitting the audience over the head with the name or what the character says?

Grade 9's:  Choose the second heritage story to act out.  Remember, it's always good to use a variety of modes of presentation -- like tableaus, mimes, music, choral speaking, poetry, monologue and dialogue.

Love, Fair Looks and True Obedience

Shakespeare tells us that these are the things a woman owes to her husband.  Shakespeare lived a long time ago and I think he really believed this.  His wife, Anne Hathaway, was eight years older than he was and she probably had trouble following this edict, as most women would today.  That might be why Shakespeare ran away from Stratford and Anne and headed for London to be an actor -- a dicey choice in any time.  Anyway, Shakespeare was a man of his time and even though I disagree with what Katarina says in "The Taming of the Shrew", it is still a beautifully written speech.

I had trouble obeying my director this week.  He suggested that I was "making a meal" of a speech in "Dearly Departed".  He said it wouldn't be funny if I made it as dramatic as I was doing.  I felt grumpy about his direction and at first I thought, "there's no other way to do that speech!  I CAN'T DO IT THE WAY HE SAYS!"  I try to get clues from the way the speech is written and it seemed to me that the words the author chose and the way he repeated some phrases meant that it should be really dramatic.  I made notes in the script about what the director had said, but I wasn't happy.

I saw one of the actors from the drama club at school (Paige) and I asked her to read the speech.  She did and then I asked her how she thought it should be delivered.  Paige said, "with calm acceptance".  I was dumbfounded.  That was just what the director was saying.  Well, two heads are better than one and I decided that I was wrong and worked on delivering the speech with "calm acceptance" and it seems to be working.  So a big thanks to Paige for her insight.  I guess if you disagree with someone's direction, you should always give it a fair try before you decide you can't do it.  And if you come to that decision, you should talk about it to the director and maybe the two of you can figure out some middle ground.

Please let Rachel know if you can't make rehearsal and if she schedules a rehearsal, please make an effort to come.  Bring a pencil, so you can write down your blocking so we can build on it for next time!

Journal Day - World Teachers Day Tomorrow

Grade 10:  Which character are you playing?  What does the character's name mean to you?  What other characters appear in your scene?  What is your scenario?  How will you play your character (voice, physicality, costume, makeup, etc.)?

Grade 8:  Comment on another group's fairy tale mime.  Which performance stood out?  Which moment was most memorable?  How could the mime be improved?

Grade 9:  Why did you choose the story you did as your first scene?  What aspects of the story make it most accessible to you?  What ideas does your group have for a framework?  How will it help present your stories?

It's World Teacher Day tomorrow.  Think of a teacher who made a difference in your life.  I've had lots of good teachers (my mother was a teacher and although I never was her student in a classroom, she continues to inspire me ten years after her death -- she taught me to really appreciate the world around me and how glorious it is to be alive -- what a wonderful gift!) but one teacher who really helped me was my English teacher in Grade 7.  His name was Mr. Tunbridge and he loved reading and passed his enthusiasm on to his students and he also had a great sense of humour and laughed at the performances I did as part of English and made me think I might be able to actually be an actor myself.  Thanks, Mr. Tunbridge, wherever you are!

"There's no art to find the mind's construction in the face"

Grade 10's:  Creating a character is one of the most important aspects of acting.  You need to think about how you can turn yourself into someone else.  Some actors depend on costumes or makeup -- they can't be someone else until they dress up or put on a fake nose (the great Laurence Olivier was like this).  Some actors have to internalize the emotional state of the character they're playing.  If the character murders someone in a dark rage, the actor tries to remember a time when he felt that he might hurt another person because of his anger.  This technique is called "emotional memory".  Other actors create characters by observing real people in real life (lots of great improvisers do this).  Sometimes, an accent or a physical state can help create a character (if you're playing an old person you could walk with a cane or someone who is very sophisticated could have a French accent).  The character names you've been assigned could be a good starting point for a character you can use in more than one scene.  If you create a character that people look forward to seeing more than once, that's a good basis for a career!  (Think of Bobby Lee playing Kim Jong Il, or the characters of Logan and Wilf, played by Alana Johnston and Kayla Lorette on "That's So Weird".)

I'm in a play right now called "Dearly Departed" in which I play an old lady in a place like Alabama.  She has a Southern US accent and is very disappointed and impatient with her son.  The accent really helped me find a place to start turning her into a real person, but something else that has helped me is to carry a purse full of junk.  Whenever anything happens in the play, I reach into the purse and find something to use on stage.  I've added things to the purse through rehearsal as things have occurred to me.  At this point, I have a handkerchief, a fan, a Bible, a pencil, a bookmark, and my smart phone!  The show opens on October 17 at Evergreen Cultural Centre in Coquitlam.

Be prepared!

You must be prepared to perform on the day!  Tomorrow, Grade 10's will do their satires.  Play characters -- don't be happy with playing yourself!  Grade 9's, you will perform the heritage stories from the cards.  Try to be respectful of the stories you've been assigned.  Think about how things were done before cellphones and modern schools and automobiles.  Grade 9's -- hand in your heritage story!  You will need to share it with your group.  Grade 8's, you will be performing your dress rehearsal of the fairy tale mime.  Be sure you have an idea on how to play your character!  Grade 8's -- you should also be thinking of a topic for your upcoming show and tell speech.  It should be something about which you can tell a good (2 minute) story.

Blow Winds and Crack Your Cheeks!

I guess it's going to be a stormy weekend, so batten down the hatches with a good book or movie!

Grade 10's:  You will perform your satires on Monday.  After having seen your "dress rehearsals", I'm still not convinced you have a clear understanding of how satire works.  It is an integral part of "commedia del'arte" which we are going to be looking at in depth.  Look on Youtube for sketches from "That's So Weird".  That's a satirical show meant for kids and I find the sketches (the scenes they do) really funny.  Their series, "Logan and Wilf", is very funny and I think the two women who play the boys have really created a couple of charming and funny characters that poke fun at the way kids see the world.  Other sources of satire are "This Hour Has Twenty Two Minutes" (which satires Canada's political scene), "The Rick Mercer Report" (which also takes aim at Canadian issues) and of course, American shows like "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report".

You will be reciting "Think when we talk of horses" on Monday.  Make sure you practice!

Grade 9's:  I have read a couple of your heritage stories and I've found them to be excellent.  If you haven't handed in your story yet, please take some time this weekend to talk to your family members about events in your family history that might make a good story.  It doesn't have to be a huge achievement.  My mother told all sorts of funny stories about growing up on the prairies.  Here's one:  my grandparents had a general store in a little town called Lang, in Saskatchewan.  They lived there through the Great Depression when most of Saskatchewan was called a dustbowl, because there was no rain, and the crops were dying and there was no work.  My uncle, Dudley, was sixteen and wasn't a very good student and thought he would like to get a job but of course, there were no jobs in Lang.  One morning, my grandmother woke up to find a note from Dudley.  It said, "I have decided to hitch a ride on a freight train and go out to Alberta to find work.  Don't worry.  I have five dollars."  She cried and cried, until my grandfather decided to follow Dudley on the train.  He got as far as Moose Jaw (that's a real place).  Dudley had run out of money (or been robbed, I'm not sure which) and was so glad to see his father.  That isn't an earthshattering story, but I think it fits the bill.

Some of my husband's ancestors were African slaves who were freed after the Civil War in the United States.  His great great great grandfather moved to Texas with his family to start a new life.  One day he came home from a day in town and he was very frightened.  He told his wife and children they had to get away and so they packed up everyone and all the worldly goods they could get on the wagon and headed north.  They crossed into Canada (they had to pay a head tax because of their race) and settled near Edmonton in Alberta where they started farming again.  He never told anyone what had happened in town, but you can imagine, I think.

Grade 8's:  You should be thinking about your fairy tale mime.  If you have some music that would be good as an accompaniment, you may bring it to class on a CD or on your smart phone and I can play it for you from the booth.  Be sure you know the story and that you know who you are playing and where the tableaus are.  Think about how you can play a real character on stage.  If you are the witch in "Hansel and Gretel", you need to think about how she could convince the children to come into her house and then what would she look like as she fattened them up before she turned them into soup!

Drama Club:  We've started off with some very productive rehearsals.  Some of you have mentioned that you might know someone who has a donkey head.  Try and get a hold of the person and see if we can borrow it.  Make sure you give Rachel Wong your schedule, so she can figure out a rehearsal setup for next week.  I scheduled rehearsals of Act 4 for Monday.  At lunch we will meet in Mr. Allan's room (thanks to him) as there is a presentation by VCC in the theatre at lunch. 

On your feet!

Sitting and talking about what you want to do will not provide the same results as doing it.  Don't be lazy.  You get out of things what you put into them (that might not be grammatical, but it's true).

Don't forget we're having "Meet the Teacher" night on Thursday.  Encourage your parents to attend.  You're welcome to come as well and introduce me to your parents.

Friday is a professional day, so sleep in (all you sleep deprived teenagers!) and then go outside and have a nice walk somewhere.  Clear out the cobwebs!  Monday will be upon us before you know it!

. . . here are your parts!

Drama Club:  Please make note of the rehearsal schedule on the bulletin board outside the theatre.  Do not miss rehearsals!  Somebody else will be happy to play your part and we have lots of very talented people to act as your "understudy"  (see the great Bette Davis and Anne Baxter in "All About Eve").

Drama classes:  Journals are due tomorrow. 

If you would like to try your Shakespeare reciting again, make sure you practice, because it should show improvement from your first attempt.

I, admiring of YOUR qualities!

Thanks to everyone who auditioned for the play.  You have made it so difficult for me to cast it, but that's a good thing for me, of course, because I have what is called an "embarrassment of riches" (too much of a good thing).  My selection process includes a consideration of your grade level -- if a student has been in the Drama Club for five years and had been tried and true, always prepared, consistently at rehearsals, improving as we work, that person will very likely get a big part.  If you are in the younger grades, you have to expect that you will get a smaller part, but remember that a good actor can make a small part really shine.  And of course, this year, we have so many wonderful actors from grade 11 and 12, they've made it hard for me to choose among them!

Years ago, I went to Stratford, Ontario, to see "Midsummer Night's Dream".  It was terrific.  If you ever get a chance to go there, take it.   The theatre is so lovely and you're guaranteed to see something interesting and challenging and thought-provoking.  Anyway, the actor playing "Snout" has very few lines.  You would think it was a part to throw away, not to "tear a cat in", but the actor who played Snout was so focused and so in character and so charming that you really loved him and watched him when he was onstage.  You wanted to know how he felt about everything.  He wasn't DOING anything, not upstaging anyone; he was just living in his role.  And I have remembered his performance above everything else in that wonderful production.  Isn't that what all of us want as actors?

Rest assured, I will do my very best to give you all a chance to be on stage, but then you must reciprocate by being committed to the play. It is going to be a huge challenge for all of us, but if we pull together, we'll end up with something magical, I know.  The experienced kids know that there are always chances to be promoted.  If somebody doesn't show up, I'll look around the theatre and say, "Hey, you in the green, want to play Hamlet?"  Then you stammer, "we. . .we. . . well, okay!" and then the next thing you know, you're on Broadway!  Thanking me for your Tony award!

I will post the cast list on the Drama Bulletin board on Monday morning.  Then at lunch, we'll get together in the theatre to talk about schedules.  Please have a written schedule of your own ready for Rachel (who is going to stage manage the play).  You should write out when you CANNOT come to rehearsal.  Bring a PENCIL to rehearsals to write down blocking and ideas you have about your character or how to say your lines.

And now, "take pains, be perfect, adieu"!  (I can't help quoting the play.)

Ideas for Satire

Drama 10:  If you're looking for ideas for your satire, try the CBC's  "Just for Laughs -- Hindsight 30/30".  Popular comedians look at historical events through a comic lens -- this might give you some ideas about events that would be suitable and also the style that you might use.

Two Heads Are Better Than One?

Journals: 
Grade 10:  Write a one-page scene which reveals the group interactions you experienced when developing your "I know what you did" mime.
In one sentence, what is your satire based on?
Grade 8:  Are you good at working with a group?  Explain.  Would you say you're a good leader?  Explain.  What qualities and skills do you have that make you a leader?  How can you improve your group work?  (think of at least three ways)
Grade 9:  Write your heritage story.  (This is due next Thursday.)
What would be challenging about living without your smartphone?  What would be good about it?  Think of the same two questions with regard to other things we use all the time (for example, the automobile, the refrigerator, running water in the house)

Tomorrow is Nerd Day.  Unveil your inner nerd!

Practice Makes Perfect

A bit disappointing in the mime department today, Grade 10's.  You had a week to prepare and your scenes were pretty chaotic.  You can't hope to come up with a good performance if you don't work on it at all.  Just sitting and hoping for the best won't cut it.

Listen to everyone's ideas.  Sometimes the quiet people have great ideas and if you shut them down right away, you'll never hear about them, until you read their "coming of age" novel when you're in your thirties!  On the other hand, don't let one naysayer shut you down.  You need to express your ideas and try them out in the rehearsal process.  You won't make much progress in Drama if you just sit and stare at each other.  Even the silliest idea can turn into something great if you try it out.  (Look at Bob and Doug Mackenzie -- if you don't know who they are, ask your parents or look them up on Youtube.)

Keep in mind how your rehearsals went because I'll be asking about them in this week's journal.  You should be prepared to write a little playlet that explores what happened as you put the mime together.

A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words!

Good work on the mimes today, everyone!  For the grade 9's and 10's, I am especially pleased at how well you took direction.  It is a great skill to be able to take constructive criticism and use it to improve your work and that is something I am looking for when I assess your progress in Drama.

Grade 8 and 9:  We will perform our Shakespeare recitations on Monday, September 23.  Grade 10's:  Yours will be on Monday, September 30.  Practice saying your speech out loud.  That is the only way to memorize a speech.  Say it for your family -- ask them to tell you honestly if you are speaking clearly and loudly enough.

Drama Club:  Auditions are on-going this week.  If there is no time available on the sign up sheet, just show up and audition -- there are always a few spare minutes.  As is often the case, we need any talented boys to come forward, especially.  Don't be intimidated by Shakespeare -- it isn't as difficult as you think.  If you are interested in performing, you can ask for a small part and see what it's like.

Crew -- listen for the announcements -- we'll have a brief meeting on Monday at lunch in the theatre to see what everyone's schedule is.

Tomorrow is Photo Day.  Your image will be imprinted in the yearbook for posterity, so "dress your best" for Spirit Week AND to make your best impression on everyone who looks in the yearbook in years to come.

Spirit Week!

Be sure you participate in Spirit Week!  It's fun and Drama students usually show leadership in areas that require creative risks!

Monday -- Pajama Day
Tuesday -- Your "future career" day (use your imagination -- no one will check, in years to come, to see if you fulfill your future career plans)
Wednesday -- Dress Your Best Day (also photo day, so you want to look nice)
Thursday -- Excessive Makeup Day
Friday -- Nerd Day

Remember, in your mimes, match your facial expression to your mood!

Journals are due tomorrow.

Golden lads and girls all must/As chimney sweepers, come to dust.

Many of you know I attended a funeral this week.  We lost one of my husband's oldest friends and although the ceremony was comforting and it was good for all of us to get together and remember him, I think we will all be very sad for a while.  My husband and Colin had been friends since they were about 11 years old (more than forty years!) and they went to school together, played sports together, travelled together, worked together (Colin got my husband his first job!), acted as best man for each other at their weddings, and were there for each other in sickness and in health.  It isn't easy to keep a friendship going over such a long period of time.  I only have one friend from my childhood and I treasure our relationship because she is one of the only people who remembers my parents and what I was like as a little girl and our home town and all of our shared experiences.  As with any relationship, "it takes two to tango".  You both have to make an effort.  I hope all of you get to experience a friendship like the two I've mentioned here.  It is a great consolation to have someone who really knows you and accepts you "warts and all".  Even though it is sad to have to say goodbye, it is "better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all".

Have a great weekend.  It is supposed to be summery weather until late Sunday -- perhaps that will be the official beginning of fall.

We are such stuff as dreams are made on,
And our little life is rounded with a sleep.

Time Waits for NO MAN (or woman)

Some of you have not handed in last week's journals and now, THIS WEEK's is upon us.  Don't let time get away from you.  Make sure you hand in your journal each week, or you will have a big disappointment on your report card.

Grade 8's, you won't have a journal this week, because you are away at camp.  I hope you're having a great time and learning a lot about how to get along in high school.  You should be practicing the Shakespeare passage, because we'll be working on that when you get back.

Grade 9's:  Practice "speak the speech" so you'll be able to recite it without help from me.

Journal #2:  In one sentence, tell the story of your mime.  Have you embellished the original idea to make it more dramatic?  What is the conflict in your story?  (You need conflict in a drama.)  What have you done to improve the original mime?

Make sure you answer all the questions.

Grade 10's:  Practice the speech from Henry V.  You'll be reciting it soon.

Journal #2:  In your mimes, what happened last summer?  What conflict are you exploring?  What was good about your mime performance?  What needed improvement? 

Remember, in mime, you need to be very clear in your actions and take your time.  Otherwise, the audience won't understand your story.

Ever have . . . one of those days?

That's a line from a great show I saw this weekend at the Fringe Festival (running until next Sunday, mostly on Granville Island).  The play was called "Radio: 30" and is about an actor recording a 30 second commercial spot.  He's a very skilled and confident actor who shows what it's like to work in that environment, but of course, that's not all there is to the show.  The actor/writer of the show is the very talented Chris Earle, whose performance was absolutely rivetting.  The other show I saw was a huge contrast -- "Hockey Night at the Puck and Pickle Pub".  It was performed by Ryan Gladstone and John Paterson and was about a bunch of people in a pub watching the final gold medal hockey game at the 2014 Olympics (here's a hot prediction -- it's Russia and Canada!)  Both actors play all the characters -- old men, "cougars", two actors planning a hockey play, and a couple on a date all the way to Jim Hewson and Kelly Hrudy doing the play-by-play of the game.   It was lots of fun.  Gladstone and Paterson are pretty great improvisers and invested a lot of energy into the performance and even though they struggled a bit with the material (which requires a deft hand, I think) they certainly were entertaining.

If you're interested in taking part in the Drama Club, we had our first meeting today (I had planned to meet tomorrow, but I won't be able to do it).  We're going to do Midsummer Night's Dream and the audition sheets are on the theatre bulletin board, along with a signup sheet for audition times.  Make sure you memorize the piece.  If you want to work backstage, listen for the announcements or let Alyssa, Paige or Mark (or me) know.

Your journals are due tomorrow.  Grade 8's, make every effort to hand yours in, since most of you will be away at camp for three days.  Have a great time!  This is an experience you'll remember for your whole high school career!

Grade 9's and 10's -- you're going to be working on mime for the next couple of days.  Remember, it's so important to concentrate when you're miming and really think about communicating to the audience. In groups, it's important to listen to everyone's ideas before you charge ahead with your own.  Sometimes an idea that seems too complicated at first or is hard to understand is just the thing to make your play special.  The theatre is predicated on the principal that two (or three or more) heads are better than one and that many hands make light work.  (Sometimes cliches are true.)

See you all on Wednesday.

Noli timere - Don't be afraid

I mentioned a couple of days ago that the great Irish poet, Seamus Heaney, had died.  His last words were "Noli timere" which is Latin for "Don't be afraid".  When he won the Nobel prize, he said, "walk on air, against your better judgement".  I think both quotes urge us to do the same thing.  Don't be crippled by fear.  Try new things.  Live life fully.

Michael Enright, who is a commentator on the CBC, wrote about Seamus Heaney's life and philosophy  this week and he says "our poets don't change the world, but instead change the way we look at it".  That's the role of all artists, including those of us who are involved in the theatre.  He says we live in a culture of fear -- fear of the future, of unseen dangers, of failure -- but Seamus Heaney advised us to turn our backs on fear and choose hope instead.

Here's a brief passage from Heaney's "The Cure at Troy":

History says, don't hope
On this side of the grave.
But then, once in a lifetime
The longed-for tidal wave
Of justice can rise up,
And hope and history rhyme.

Live your life this weekend.  Get off the computer and get outside.  Listen to the birds.  Think about how lucky you are.  Noli timere!

Journal Day

Don't forget to bring a pen, duotang (Oxford Esselte, if you prefer) and paper to class tomorrow.  Remember, I do have a few old duotangs that you may use.  Grade 8's, your assembly is in B Block, so report to Drama class and you will be called down to the gym.

  Grades 9 and 10 :  Our first journal will be about your favourite movie.  What is the name of the movie?  (If you don't see a lot of movies, try to think of one you like, even if it's a kids' movie or one you saw long ago.)  Who directed it?  (The director is the person who is responsible for every aspect of the film, so they are really important - try to start noticing who directs the movies you like, if you don't already.)  Who acted in it?  (If it's an animated movie, it still uses actors for the voices of the characters.)  What did you like about it?  (Be specific -- describe scenes that were memorable or focus on one actor's performance, or how the scenes were shot.)  Is there anything you DIDN'T like about the movie?  What would you change about it?  Would you suggest I see it?  Why or why not?  Would you recommend it to your friends?  Why or why not?

Grade 8 :  What should I know about you?  I'm your Drama teacher, so it is probably worth telling me if you've been involved with Drama before.  Have you ever acted in a play?  Taken Drama classes?  Do you suffer from stage fright?  (You aren't the only one -- lots of people are afraid to perform in front of others.  Even professional actors can have stage fright.)  Are you good (or not so good) at working in groups?  What kinds of things do you like to do?  Have you any special skills (playing the piano, doing calligraphy, building things, etc.)?  Do you have any life threatening allergies?  Just give me an idea of who you are and tell me anything you think will help me work with you in Drama class. 

I don't take away marks for spelling or grammar, but try to write complete answers that clearly communicate your ideas.  Your journals are due on Tuesday (September 10) of next week.  If you have any questions, ask me in class or you can email me or include a comment on my blog.

Drama Club:  We will have a brief meeting on Tuesday at lunch.  Our first show is going to be Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream".  There is a handout about it in a blue folder on the bulletin board outside the theatre door.  The sign up sheet for auditions is yellow and is also on the bulletin board.

Welcome to Drama!

It was great to see all your smiling faces in class today.  Remember, enthusiastic participation is how you make progress in Drama.

Please share the course outline you received today with your parents and guardians and point out how they can communicate with me if they need to.  Remember to get a duotang (or an Oxford Esselte, if you prefer) with paper and a pen for Friday's journal day.

If you see someone from the drama class in the halls, make an effort to smile and say hi and use their name.  That's a great way to build a good working group and you might make a new friend who shares an interest in theatre with you!

See you all tomorrow.

All the world's a stage

All the world's a stage
And all the men and women merely players.
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts.

That's the Grade 8 memorization passage!  Only four lines!  Easy-peasy!  It is from Shakespeare's play, "As You Like It" and goes on to describe all the different stages of a person's life.  It's funny and true and sad, like lots of Shakespeare.

If you're already a fan of the Immortal Bard (that's Shakespeare, if you didn't know), you probably know that the Bard on the Beach is continuing to perform over the next two weeks and it is always great to take a trip to Vanier Park and see a show.  The plays on now include Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Measure for Measure and a non-Shakespearean play called "Elizabeth Rex" about Shakespeare's queen, Elizabeth I.  Tickets are a lot more expensive than the Fringe Festival, but then you know what you're getting with Shakespeare, whereas "Hockey Night at the Puck and Pickle" is an unknown quantity.

Back to school

Welcome back everyone!  (And welcome for the first time to all the Grade 8's)

These first days of "back to school" can be a real challenge.  We're used to staying up late and sleeping in and now suddenly, we're back to the alarm clock and homework and school and probably, for lots of  you (and me also), extra curricular activities and schedules and not enough time in the day to get everything done.

Make sure you read the drama handout and share it with your parents.  It gives you a taste of what we will be doing this year and outlines my assessment practices and how to reach me and gives the Shakespeare selection you'll be expected to memorize and various other things that might be of interest to you.

Next week we'll be starting up the Drama club.  If you're looking for a good way to have fun, be creative and get to know like-minded kids, look no further than the theatre.  We always need actors (girls and guys) and backstage crew.  Our first show is Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream" and we'll be auditioning next week.  See me in the theatre for more info.

Out in the world of theatre:  for the next two weeks in Vancouver, the Fringe Festival is taking place (mostly on Granville Island).  For the very cheap $12 a ticket, you can see all sorts of theatre.  I'm going to two shows this weekend.  "Hockey Night at the Puck and Pickle" is a show that predicts the outcome of the 2014 Olympic hockey tournament (it's supposed to be hilarious -- the actors are well known Canadian improv actors) and "Radio: 30" is about a silver voiced actor who loses it while doing a 30 second radio spot.  Check out the offerings on line at Vancouver Fringe Festival.

See you on stage!

Seamus Heaney - Digging

The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap
Of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge
Through living roots awaken in my head.
But I've no spade to follow men like them.

Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests.
I'll dig with it.

Seamus Heaney died yesterday.  He was only in his 70's.  Some of you might remember this poem (which is filled with such evocative imagery) from English 11.

Tomorrow we're back to school.  I like school (as evidenced by nearly half a century spent there) but I will miss these lazy summer days with no schedule.  On our walk this morning, Daisy and I noticed how September-y the air feels.  It's warm but those days of "mist and mellow fruitfulness" (that's Keats) are here.

Tradition! Tradition! "That old black rum's got a hold on me!"

We made our yearly pilgrimage to the PNE on Wednesday.  People sneer at the PNE, but I think it's an extremely good value.  We paid $118 for us to get in and for the boys to ride whatever at will, and they have included all the rides in the ride pass this year, so they could go on the Hellevator or play mini-golf or whatever all for that price.  We had some food and drink and all told spent less than $200 for a family of four for a day's worth of fun and food and drink.  There is so much to do, we always run out of time.  There is something for everyone -- there was this great drum troupe playing in the street -- what energy and colour and skill they demonstrated!  There are the barns, of course, and the Superdogs and the Peking Acrobats, and this year there was a museum show about Genghis Khan (which we didn't see) and there is a concert every night included in your ticket.  That was the highlight for us -- we saw Great Big Sea and they were spectacular.  They are a great band -- very tight and talented.  It is amazing how many instruments they can all play.  They performed lots of the songs that we knew and we sang along and clapped.  My favourite was when they just sang -- no instruments.  The harmony was so beautiful.  It was a great venue -- outside and yet the sound was great.  So if you're looking for something to do -- the PNE is a great option.

(When William was little, he learned that Great Big Sea song "that old black rum. . ." and sang it heartily without knowing what it was saying.  He even sang it to his kindergarten teacher!)

Some Assembly Required

Yesterday we went to see the filming of a new tv show called "Some Assembly Required".  The premise is that a bunch of kids find themselves managing a toy company.  (I won't go into details, because the guy who warmed up the audience swore us all to secrecy.)  I have never seen a sitcom being taped so this was a fascinating experience for me.  Anthony and William found it interesting as well, but Mike was pretty much focused on how many times they had to do a take and trying to laugh with the same enthusiasm after he'd heard the same joke six times.

I am always excited and interested to see the set and this one was very colourful and attractive -- I think there were about six locations on the soundstage.  I was most impressed with the young actors and their patience and work ethic.  They listened attentively to the director and tried to do what he was asking and kept a positive attitude even though it is a very long day for them.  I don't know how old they were but they seemed mature beyond their years.

I always think this stuff is so glamourous but of course, it isn't, really.  When you see behind the scenes, all the sets are just wood and nails and Styrofoam and the people working there, crew and cast, are just regular people like you and me.  Except that maybe they've found a passion for something.  After I see this sort of thing, I always think how much more exciting it is to do a play.  You get to do the whole story at once and get a sense of your character in situ and feel like you're creating something whole and not little bits of something for which you can't really get a full sense.

I'll be really interested to see the show on tv.  We'll be listening for our laughs in episode two!

On a sad note, the great Canadian actor August Schellenberg died yesterday.  I always remember him in "North of 60", a show about a remote aboriginal community that was on the CBC in the 90's, I think.  He played King Lear at the National Arts Centre a couple of years ago -- now that would have been an amazing show to see.

Living Light

Have you ever heard of the phenomenon called "bioluminescence"?  Certain animals, particularly marine animals, produce their own light!  (Most of us have seen fireflies - they do it, too.)  The boys and I just returned from a few wonderful days on Hardy Island with some friends and we were able to witness this first hand.  As night fell, our host told us we should go down to the dock to see something amazing and he was absolutely right.  The shiny black sea was very still most of the time we were there, and the air was warm and it is far enough away from the hustle and bustle that it is beautifully quiet.  We dipped our hands in the water . . . and the water and our hands glowed.  Doug and Sam jumped in and swam and they literally shone with a green otherworldly light!  When you swept your hand through the water, you left a trail of sparkles.  Even the little black mussels who cling to the edge of the dock seemed to be sparkling.  It was like the stars weren't just in the sky -- they were in the water as well.  It's impossible for someone who isn't a poet to give you any idea how magical and amazing this is.  You have to experience it.  I can't explain exactly what is happening, but my understanding is that it is a chemical reaction produced by some small creatures (plankton) when they are excited or stimulated by movement (like our hands moving the water around).  It doesn't happen in fresh water - only in the sea.

I guess all the beautiful moon jellies we saw in Monterey are experts on bioluminescence -- because they were glowing with blue light, but the amazing thing about what we saw at Hardy was that we felt like we were part of the magic.

Nature always has a surprise for you -- just when you think you've seen it all.   You can't be cynical if you spend time in the natural world.  Even the smallest creature is a marvel.  One of the most memorable sights from our trip to the San Diego Zoo wasn't the big animals but a terrarium of dung beetles.  There they were working diligently with their choice material, all of them busily crawling about with what appeared to be purpose.  William and I noticed two especially determined beetles with what was to them a huge ball of dung.  They were trying to lift it from one level to another.  They would just get it to the edge of the shelf and it would roll off and defeat them.  After several abortive tries, they stopped and seemed to be giving up.  They just stood there motionless with the ball of dung between them.  But after a short rest, back they went to their task.  Finally their determined effort paid off and they achieved success.  Neither William nor I could see why it was important for them to get the dung onto that shelf, but who are we to question the motive of such resolute souls?

Back in business!

We have running water and a cooker, so we feel very rich and privileged tonight!  The floor will be a while yet and the counter tops and cabinets are delayed, but once you've gone without running water and gas in the kitchen anything else feels very luxurious!  Mike has created a makeshift counter and we will cook our own food tomorrow and not have to go to IHOP or order pizza.  Life is good.

Let's try to remember this when we're whining about how the cheese on the casserole is too salty or whatever it is we whine about.  (Or the meat pies are too hot, right, Rickie?)  Whiners gotta whine, I guess.

Home? Home forever and ever!

We arrived back in Canada at about 2:30 and picked up our girl.  She was very happy to see us and we were very happy to see her.  She was well taken care of but nothing is like home, is it?  She was so happy to see us, she didn't even throw up on the way home.  That's a stellar achievement for Daisy.

When we got back to the Fortress of Solitude, the floor man was still here and we were appalled to see how little had been done while we were away.  The floors are still bare and the sink, cooktop, dishwasher and fridge are not hooked up and everything is still planted in the middle of the floor.  We used the barbecue tonight to cook dinner, and Anne next door has offered to let us use her kitchen (so kind -- we are so lucky to have such good neighbours) but I don't see how this is going to work at all.  At any other time, I'd be happy to say "let's stay in a hotel!" but really, we all just want to sleep in our own beds and look in our own fridge and cook our own meals.  We are all rather bummed out about it, but there  isn't anything we can do, so we will make the best of it.

Welcome home, Taylor-Kosars!