Picking a Winner!

So you want some surefire tips on picking a winner?

Truth be told there is absolutely no "surefire" way to pick a winner. You can scan the pro's picks, read the racing form, check the online sites, talk to people at the track or use a combination of quirky methods.

People bet on horses based on the jockey, the owners, the trainers, they like the color of the silks, or the horses name, some even bet on the horse that has taken a (how to be delicate?) "dump" right before the race.

Others look at the top speed the horse has raced, the number of races won this season, the amount of money the horse has won, whether the horse is Kentucky bred or foreign.

Personally, I look at horse names first. I know, so NOT technical! I've devoured a dozen or more horse books so I'm a little familiar with owners, stables, and jockeys so that's my next criteria. I'm partial to Kentucky horses as opposed to those from Dubai. This time around, I got a number of tips so I began betting based on horse speed, money, and wins.

Random observations:

-wait until about three minutes before the race to bet so you can read the odds and see where the money is.

-don't waste your money on box seats. Most tracks are cheap to get into...$3! General admission gets you on the ground close to the horses. It allows you to wander around, get to the wagering windows quickly to cash in all that money you've won. Personally, I move as close to the rail as possible. I want to hear and feel the pounding of horses as they fly by me.

-all kinds of dress is appropriate jeans, suits, dresses. sneakers, heels. But the little sorority girls in their 4" heels, skimpy sundresses, hats, and sweaters along with the frat boys in pink shirts, madras and seersucker suits seemed a little over the top on this the second day of racing. Save it for the Woodlawn or Coolmore.

-the best bargain of the $3 pretzels, sodas, and popcorn is the soft ice cream sundae. It was enormous and featured a mound of soft ice cream, 3 cherries, hot fudge and nuts. You really do get more than you paid for here.

-wagering is very cheap...usually $2 and in some places just dollar. I gambled this time around and bet trifectas. .10 Superfecta boxed, exactas, and something that looks like this: 2-6, 2-6, under ALL, ALL ALL. I haven't a clue what ALL this means but I did win $15 on this one.

THE BEST TIP OF ALL? Detroit just broke ground this spring on a multimillion dollar race track called Pinnacle scheduled to open for a late July-August opening. I WANT TO WORK THERE!!! No, seriously. So meet me at the track.

-

*

A Day at the Races

Race day at Keeneland was spectacular! I lost some, won some but all in all broke even. But along the way I took some real chances, relearned betting lingo, and picked up a few tips from some very nice and patient fans.

Keeneland is one of the most beautiful race tracks in the country thanks to the efforts of Alma Headley Haggin in the late 1930's. She was determined to make Keeneland the most beautiful racetrack. She was most interested about the lives of the race horses once they arrived at Keeneland. She wanted them to have shade so she planted tall Chinese Elms and fast growing maples. She made sure the trees grew upright so horses would not be hurt by low lying limbs. She also wanted the horses to be surrounded by beauty so at the corner of all the stables she panted flowering crab apples, dogwoods, cherry, locust, and magnolias. She also gave instructions to the gardening crew to make sure all horse paths were cleared of fallen fruits or nuts so the horses would not be hurt.

Seventy years later the fruit of her labors is quite evident and spectacular!

I LOVE a good Musical

It's Girl Scout Cookie Time!

You know it's SPRING when Girl Scout Cookies are in! I started looking for them in February, even checked the web site thinking they'd be perfect for Valentine's Day.

I was ecstatic, when in Ann Arbor several weeks ago, I discovered a store selling the cookies. My plan this time was to stuff the Easter baskets with them.

Of course, one box didn't quite make it home! Yes, I confess, I ate a whole box of thin mints. And it was glorious.

However, I made a monumental discovery- NOT ALL THIN MINTS ARE CREATED EQUAL! These thin mints weren't what I remembered. OK, it was a year ago since my last thin mint and yes, age, mine, may have a tiny bit to do with it BUT these were imposters!

My first clue should have been the wrap. These cookies were enrobed in that wafer thin silver foil that rips at the slightest pressure not the plastic sleeve that allows you to see all the cookies, savor, count and ration them

The next clue was the size! These babies weren't as thin as I remembered. They were slightly cakier, a little too "fat". My thin mints had been overindulging this year.

And then there was the shape. The edge had a slightly larger scallop as opposed to a tiny ruffle.

Were they good? YES Were they great? No

I had heard that several bakeries made GS cookies. Hmmm...maybe a different bakery. Some one at Curves said they were made in Chicago and Cleveland. Ok, I'm closer to Chicago. Ann Arbor, and hour south of us, may be geographically challenged and believe they were closer to Cleveland.

In the process I found the cookies locally. Voila! The cookie of my childhood. They hadn't changed the recipe. It WAS the bakery.

So, I went back to the source....the box...and the good stuff is from Little Brownie Bakers, how punny, in Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville? What?? My favorite state, horse racing (see earlier blog) and the home to the MINT julep. Makes sense to me.

The best news? You don't have to know a GS to find the cookies. They're sold outside every big box store in your town. Go forth, and indulge. Celebrate spring!

Spring Break!!

John and I are going to Asheville, North Carolina for Spring Break. It isn't Costa Rica but it will do.

We head out for Lexington, Kentucky for a day and some horse racing and then meet up with our friend Nora and her son David in Asheville. David is a senior at Warren Wilson College and will be graduating this spring. Nora has been saying for years now that I have to see Asheville. I would love it. So that's the plan. We'll hang out together and see all the great sights, shop in the very artsy town, visit some bead stores (of course) eat at cute little trendy restaurants, do a tour of the college and soak up the wonderful southern hospitality.

I'll post my pictures when I return and update you on our travels

And They're Off

It's Derby season!! The horses are off and running. I am an avid fan of thoroughbred horse racing so I'll be checking http://www.kentuckyderby.com/ often this month. April is the big month for derby trials and most of them are on TV so you can follow too. Three big races April 5; Santa Anita, Wood Memorial, and the Illinois Derby. The following week on Aug 12 the Blue Grass Stakes and Arkansas Derby and the weekend of the 19th the Coolmore Stakes.

It's any ones guess who will be in the field of 20 horses. Some of the contenders listed today like Anak Nakal, Atoned, Cool Coal Man, and Cowboy Cal may never get there and horses we've never heard of will pop up as major contenders. There's a lot of talk today about Bib Brown who won last weekend's Florida Derby.

I got hooked on horse racing about 5 years ago after John and I went to Lexington for Spring Break. We went to the Kentucky Horse Farm, bet on the horses at Keeneland, visited museums, horse farms, and stud farms as well as Churchill Downs. I've read about a dozen books on horses and even bet on the Derby last year. One of these days I'll actually get to the Kentucky Derby.

This spring break I have sneakily built in a day in Lexington on our way to Asheville to go back to the races at the gorgeous racetrack at Keeneland.

I'll keep you posted as the season runs.

A Celebration of Life

On the surface this book could be mistaken for a story about a great tragedy. There is no doubt that the accident that killed 4 Taylor students and a staff member was a tragedy. But the overwhelming message is one of hope. The title says it all; Mistaken Identity: Two Families, One Survivor, Unwavering Hope.

I didn't want to buy this book. I wasn't sure I needed to read this book. I thought I knew all there was to know about the details and aftermath of the accident. Our daughter, Katie, was a senior at Taylor that year. She had been on the lacrosse team with Laura. I am an alum of Taylor and part of the Taylor community. She and, consequently, we were a part of this unfolding story on a day to day basis. For hours, days, weeks and months we were wrapped up in this horrible event.

But of course, I did buy the book and I read it. It traces the story of this unfathomable accident through the eyes of the Van Rhyn family as they receive the news that their daughter, Laura, survived a horrific accident through her 5 weeks of recovery. But it also tells the story of the Cerak family as they deal with their grief at losing their daughter Whitney. And it also is the heart rendering story of what happened leading up to and discovering that the girl in the hospital in Fort Wayne was not Laura Van Rhyn but Whitney Cerak.

But as the families say in the prologue, "It is a horrible thing to lose a child. Yet even in the midst of the worst of tragedies, God reveals Himself. These are not just words we use to keep our spirits up during difficult days. We have experienced this revelation in ourselves. Above all things, this is the message we hope to convey. This is a story about God's grace and His love for us that transcends the worst this world can dish out."

It is truly a powerful story of Hope for everyone.

Birthday Girl!

This is OUR adorable, talented, cute, and smart daughter who turns 24 tomorrow!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KATIE!!!

Wish her a happy birthday, too, by going to her blog.

WE LOVE YOU And ARE SO PROUD OF YOU.

Happy Easter

I hope you have a wonderful and glorious Easter.

I'm Just Sayin

This is my amazing, goofy, wise, funny, talented friend WENDY!!

She's been on my site before when I announced that she had a radio show. She's on hiatus from that for now but bigger things are percolating for her.

Here she is again!! This time SHE HAS A NEW BLOG that I know will be the most fun you've had on the computer. She's just that way.

Visit her at http://www.imjustsayinwithwendy.blogspot.com

Another Incredible Book

Another extraordinary book by Peter Godwin, the author of When a Crocodile Eats the Sun. I was so mesmerized by that book that I read this, his previous book. This tells the story of his growing up in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) against a background of terrorism and a country beginning to fall apart. A page turning thriller. I can't get enough of this story. I've just requested his third book, the one between these two, called Rhodesians Never Die.

Top O' the Mornin' to Ya

HAPPY ST. PADDY'S DAY!

A few jokes for ya and a some interesting facts.

An Irishman and an American were sitting in the bar at Shannon Airport."I've come to meet my brother," said the Irishman. "He's due to fly in fromAmerica in an hour's time. It's his first trip home in forty years"."Will you be able to recognize him?" asked the American."I'm sure I won't," said the Irishman, "after all, he's been away for a long time"."I wonder if he'll recognize you?" said the American."Of course he will," said the Irishman. "Sure, an' I haven't been away at all".






The Doctor was puzzled "I'm very sorry but I can't diagnose your trouble, Mahoney. I think it must be drink. ""Don't worry about it Dr. Kelley, I'll come back when you're sober." "Did you hear that Flanagan invented an invisible deodorant ?" "No, what good is it ?""Well if you use, you vanish and no one knows where the smell is coming from !"





The Doctor was puzzled "I'm very sorry but I can't diagnose your trouble, Mahoney. I think it must be drink. ""Don't worry about it Dr. Kelley, I'll come back when you're sober."


Before invention of the thermometer, brewers used to check the temperature by dipping their thumb, to find whether appropriate for adding Yeast. Too hot, the yeast would die. This is where we get the phrase " The Rule of the Thumb"




In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender used to yell at them to mind their own pints and quarts and settle down. From where we get "mind your own P's and Q's".

Heads Up!

Tonight is the beginning of the HBO John Adams series. A MUST watch.

Monday is the third in the 10 part "class" on Eckhart Tolle's book A New Earth

Firefly Designs

Gorgeous chunky two strand bracelet featuring large silver beads, rose and clear quartz, pearls and accented with hammered silver clasp and silver accents.

Check out my jewelry site. I've done a little restructuring; added some new pieces, and plan to continue to update with new designs in the future.

You can get there from here! Click on the link "The Jewelry" at right.

Spring!

I've had a bad case of Spring Fever this week. I bought a beautiful hyacinth for the house that fills it with a glorious scent throughout! Sometime in the future we will be able to attach scents to our blogs and emails and you will be able to share the exquisite aroma of my humble little hyacinth.It was well worth the $8 spent. It spurred me on to do some deep spring cleaning as well.

The added daylight in the evening is even better. I find I'm far more productive and get so much done. Love It.

The creative juices are flowing and I'm making (and selling :) Prayer bracelets and Chakra bracelets. I'll post photos of them as soon as I get my new camera.

Off this weekend to judge another forensics tournament in Holland, Michigan ,that is, but they also put on an amazing tulip festival. Spring again!

I saw a delightfully funny show last night called Hate Mail. If you're familiar with Love Letters this is the anti- Love Letters. It tells the story of Preston, a spoiled rich kid who meets his match in Dahlia, an angst-filled artist. Their worlds collide when Preston sends a complaint letter that gets Dahlia fired from her job, and then there's no turning back. The play stays with their increasingly crazed correspondence as they move from hate to love, and then right back again.

It's playing through March 30 at the Williamston Theatre.

I'm still reading, watching and reflecting with Eckhart Tolle in A New Earth. Amazing! Such insight and fundamental truths. Loving it!

She's Back!

Kate's back from her trip to Cost Rica . She's the really cute one on the right. (Well actually, they're both cute) I've stolen two pictures from her Picasa album.

I'm relieved that she's back safe and sound and can't wait to hear all about it. The trip home wasn't without some bumps. She left LA for Miami an hour and a half late because someone (no one from her group) checked bags but didn't take the flight. So, the bags had to be found and removed from the plane. She was landing as her connecting flight was taking off. The group was stranded in Miami until the next day. It initially looked like they would be "camping out" in the airport but the airline found them rooms at a very nice Marriott and comped dinner and breakfast. They were about 10 minutes from the South Beach area but I think they were all too tired to leave the hotel once they had arrived.

The church in which these incredible statues were photographed is beautiful but I'm intrigued by these figures.

What I Learned in "School" Today

So, I pried my eyes open at 5:45 a.m! this morning so I could get on the road by 6:45 for a forensics tournament in Portage. I love forensics tournaments; it's what I miss the most about teaching, even the "crack of dawn" schedules, driving in blinding snow storms, fattening tournament food and 15 hour days.

Forensics isn't about dead people. We don't compete to see who can do the best autopsy. It's a competitive speech activity more like drama or public speaking. 12 events: poetry, prose, drama, storytelling, duo (scenes), multiples (mini "plays"-sort of) extemporaneous, impromptu, sales, informative, sales, and oratory. The kids are AMAZINGLY TALENTED!

My first round was Sales. Hooray! I love Sales so it was a great start to the day. I heard some great pitches for Oust, Coppertone, Whole Foods, Glad Forceflex Bags, and the best one of all Sigg water bottles. The cute little bottles are pictures here. There are dozens and dozens of designs and you choose your cap.

We all know that plastic water bottles are a problem. I just read a Q/A about reusing the bottle after you finish the water and it's not recommended. Bacteria builds up in them; you could get sick. We also know that "spring water" is the same tap water we get from our aquifers. We also know that not many plastic bottles are recycled (only 14 %) and 30 million bottles end up in land fills. It takes more than a 1000 years for them to biodegrade. For those of you Nalgene fans consider the following; the Sigg is made from a seamless aluminum liner that is effective against leaching and combats residue buildup. It's rugged and crack resistant with no weak points. (So Kudos to the young lady who gave me all this great information. I'd tell you who she is but I don't know. Students are given codes to mask the school they are from so there's no bias). She sold me!

So check it out on www.mysigg.com and NO, I don't own stock.

A New Earth

I bought the book. I bought into the hype. I watched the first Oprah class. I read the first chapter.

Now what?

I know that question sounds irreverent and perhaps self explanatory but I am sincere.

I would love to have feedback on this one.

I talked to my very talented and insightful friend Wendy, who always has very sound ideas. (I should hope so, she IS a life coach and motivational speaker) She loves the book and believes that, although she might not agree with all of it, there is something to be learned from it.

I'm not sure yet what I think or feel. The book seems a little New Agey to me and a little esoteric. I certainly plan to continue watching and reading but What do you think?

I would like to hear your comments and insight.

Treating Teachers With Contempt; Sure Way to Fail

The Lansing State Journal published two excellent viewpoints on "Failing Schools". For the full editorial go to http://www.lsj.com/




Dianna Topper, a Lansing Eastern teacher eloquently laid out the case that there are many factors in the "failing schools" equation. Some of her comments:

Unfortunately it is not schools that fail, it is people.

Teachers fail when:

-they cannot utilize the educational tools they know need to be used because they don't "fit" with one-size-fits-all curricula imposed by the school districts, the state, and the federal government

-they are not allowed to demand excellence from students

School districts fail when they....

-hamstring a teacher's classroom effectiveness by refusing to remove disruptive students

-allow students to ignore policy and parents to circumvent it, all the while holding teachers responsible for enforcing it

-choose not to listen or act upon teacher's concerns and solutions regarding student skills, behavior and attendance

Parents fail when ...

-attitude and behavior are not addressed outside of school

-they do not make sure their child is in school on a regular basis and timely basis

-they keep children home unnecessarily, or when vacations are routinely more important than being in school

Politicians fail when they...

-expect all children to learn exactly the same things in exactly the same amount of time

-expect schools to remedy all the disparities and shortcomings of society

Society fail when it...

-pays only lip service to the importance of education

-focuses attention on what's wrong, only with schools, and students take no ownership of their role in the problem

Students fail when they...

-don't appreciate what a gift education is

-have been raised to expect continuous entertainment, not effort

-have no concept of hard work

-believe that just showing up is enough and not showing up is no big deal

-believe the responsibility for success is not theirs.

Richard Trainor, the president of the Mount Pleasant Education Association writes:

Congratulations to the " dictatorintendent" of the Lansing Public Schools. His plan for your high schools will likely have many consequences. Unfortunately, many of them are likely to be less than positive.

Lansing parents should expect the following "improvements"...

-an exodus of your best young teachers, who read the action and the false statements of the dictatorintendent as a message that Lansing is not the kind of district to which they should commit their lives' work unless they enjoy being thrown under the bus when times are tough

-departure of good senior teachers

-a concerted effort by districts to head hunt those displaced

-students go in distress because their favorite teachers are gone

-teams and clubs are put in turmoil as teachers are shuffled like cards

-buildings end up with administrators who know less about their staff than they do today

No one wants students to succeed as much as teachers. No one does more daily to that end.

Rabbit Hole

Saw an amazing show this weekend; Rabbit Hole at Peppermint Creek Theatre (not the cast pictured at left; that's the Broadway cast). Once again, PC has hit the mark under Louis Balestra's direction.

The play is heart-rending.

Howie and Becca are struggling to come to terms with the tragic death of their 4 year old son in a car accident. Becca deals with the tragedy by putting her son's things away for safe keeping but out of sight as they are such a painful reminder of what they have lost. Her husband, on the other hand, needs to have Danny's things close at hand for him to deal with his grief. He accuses Becca of trying to erase the memory of their son. Conflict builds between them and threatens to destroy what they have left.

It runs another weekend at PC and is well worth seeing.

I've finished When a Crocodile Eats the Sun and I hate that it's done. I lingered over the last few chapters while wanting to find out what happens but not wanting it to be done. If Oprah ever calls me to ask what my top 5 books are , this would be one. In fact, maybe I should just write Oprah and suggest it to her. Peter Godwin, the author, has an earlier book about growing up in Africa and I've "ordered" it from a library somewhere in Michigan. But now I'm lost. What to read next? I have two other books started but they are just not as compelling as this one.

I'm anxiously waiting for the library to get High Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed .

Yes, another Everest book. For those of you who know me; I have a passionate interest in everything Everest and once drove to Cleveland to see the IMAX Everest movie about the 1996 disaster where 8 people died. It was the closest IMAX to my town so it became a mini spring break destination. But hey, we also went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and some really cool museums.

This is a different slant to regular climbing books. It's about the underworld that preys on unsuspecting climbers; a tale of thievery, prostitution, blackmail, and con-men.

A Must Read

I don't usually blog about the books I'm reading unless they are extraordinary, hard to put down, and something I think about all the time. This is just that kind of book.

So let me share a few words about the book as they appear on Amazon.com

"In this exquisitely written, deeply moving account of the death of a father played out against the backdrop of the collapse of the southern African nation of Zimbabwe, seasoned journalist Godwin has produced a memoir that effortlessly manages to be almost unbearably personal while simultaneously laying bare the cruel regime of longstanding president Robert Mugabe. In 1996 when his father suffers a heart attack, Godwin returns to Africa. As his father's health deteriorates, so does Zimbabwe. Mugabe, self-proclaimed president for life, institutes a series of ill-conceived land reforms that throw the white farmers off the land they've cultivated for generations and consequently throws the country's economy into free fall. There's sadness throughout—for the death of the father, for the suffering of everyone in Zimbabwe (black and white alike) and for the way that human beings invariably treat each other with casual disregard. Godwin's narrative flows seamlessly across the decades, creating a searing portrait of a family and a nation collectively coming to terms with death. This is a tour de force of personal journalism and not to be missed."

This is such a gripping story. It shocks , angers , and uplifts.

Lansing Teachers to Reapply for their Positions!

The breaking news last night was that the Lansing School District in an effort to meet Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act is restructuring the school district.

One of the most radical steps is to reassign teachers within the three high schools requiring teachers to reapply for their positions! According to the Board member, Hugh Clark, "no jobs will be lost."

The implication, of course, is that the teachers are at fault when students test and fail to make AYP. However, what's missing in this formula, and rarely spoken of in the news are the other major criteria for making AYP: a) the percentage of compliance is raised every year b) required test participation is now at 95% c) required school attendance criteria is set at 85% d) required graduation rates need to be at 80% e) special education students (a proportionately large percentage in Lansing and especially at Everett High School) results are factored into the data for AYP.

The Superintendent also said, "parents are not at fault." Are parents not a factor in expecting their children to attend school? To participate in testing?

What is alarming about NCLB is that now, at the high school level, teachers are spending half their instructional time is spent "prepping for the test." 50% of their time!!!! That means that students are receiving 50% less instruction!

Under the Tuscan Sun

So, I'm feeling a little bit of wanderlust since Katie is going to Costa Rica so I decided to check out Cortona, Italy. You see, I have the opportunity to go to Italy in September. I've been going back and forth with my decision, wondering if I should really spend the money. I suppose it doesn't help to do some virtual sightseeing and expect the answer to be "no". Hmmm.

Maybe posting this will make it "real" and get me motivated. I'm going with a fun group out of Seattle called Archangelo Productions (you can join us too!) and with a friend a local photographer, Jane Rosemont. The trip is a photographic workshop using digital cameras for the skilled and unskilled (that would be me). This photo is the overlook from the place we will be staying, a repurposed monastery.

If you notice a lot of Italy pictures on my blog it's just me getting up the nerve to commit and actually do this.

Adventures in Costa Rica

Katie, our world traveler is off again. This time to Costa Rica for 2 weeks. She's traveling with the World Health Organization through Wayne State Medical School. She leaves tomorrow arriving in San Jose, Costa Rica where they will spend several days running free clinics. From there they will travel to Santa Ana and work on some of the indiginous reserves. Then they get a little Spring Break hitting the gorgeous beaches of Costa Rica for some R & R before she jumps back into the madness that is med school. It'll drive me crazy to be out of touch with her for 2 weeks but I guess if I could survivie a year in Thailand this is nothing. Bon Voyage, Katie! I'll miss you!

Christmas Comes to Thailand

Just an update. In a blog in December I talked about Brooke, Katie's roommate in Thailand, who with her sister, launched a campaign to have all 123 children at the orphanage "adopted". They were successful and Brooke has wonderful pictures on her blog of the children and the gifts they received. Go to http://www.brookebrandon.blogspot.com/ to see the results. Way to go Brooke!

Happy President's Day John

It's President's Day, or more correctly in our world today-President's Day- Weekend a time of sales and shopping. So lest we forget here are some wise and irreverent words from two of the presidents closest to my heart (featured prominently in the musical 1776).

John Adams would be pleased that he was remembered today. He was consumed with yearning desire to be remembered in posterity as much as Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington.

No man who ever held the office of president would congratulate a friend on obtaining it.


...a revolution of government is the strongest proof that can be given by a people of their virtue and good sense.

Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.

In the meantime

Check out the other everyday improv videos too especially the Olympic Synchronized swimming tryouts.

Theatre Marathon

I just came back from 2 days of non stop theatre and what an amazing time I had. As a LSJ Thespie judge, I have seen about 40 local shows and except for about a handful of them none were as amazing as some of the shows I saw this weekend.




My theatre mantra has always been, "There is good theatre and there is bad theatre and it doesn't matter who does it." That is usually a comment I make when other theatre people begin dissing a particular theatre group like "high school" or "community" theatre.

In the theatre world, like everywhere else there is a pecking order. Once you get away from Broadway, Off-Broadway, traveling shows and begin to look regionally there is "professional theatre", "university theatre", "community theatre", and "high school theatre" and each group occasionally and smugly looks down on the other. The professionals say, "Oh, that's only university theatre" or the university theatre says," Come on, it's only community theatre" (as they did in their latest offering), everyone looks down on high school theatre assuming it's a night of dreadful acting, awful plays, homespun costumes, and rickedy, misaligned shaky sets. And yes, some of that is true but it's also true for all theatre groups at times.





But there was nothing sub-standard about some of the shows I saw this weekend. They could hold a candle to most of what I've seen this season and I'd gladly pit them against many professional, university, and community theatres.






This year's Class A winner was St. John's High School's production of Blood Brothers. I saw this show in London and have seen other versions of it so I wasn't all that enthused about seeing it again. And it was the first show of the day at 9 a.m.! I am so glad I made the effort. This is the story of twin brothers separated when their mother could not support both of them with her already large family. She gives one of the boys up to her employer and the boys are raised apart with the warning that they may never meet or they are doomed to die! But they do meet, accidentally, and become friends and in fact because they share so much in common,"blood brothers". But as prophesied they tragically end up killing each other over a girl and a misunderstanding.







Ashley Bowen, the new director at St. John's pulled this challenging musical together in a spectacular way. From the first note of the orchestra. A big Kudo to my nephew Zach Savoie who played guitar in the orchestra. They were amazing and their talent was rewarded with a Superior award. (Zach encourage Ms. Bowen to post that cool group picture you took at the end of the festival so I can post it here)

Congratulations also to Andrea Farrer (she's in the bottom row left holding their plague) , my niece, who was the student director of her high school's entry The Dancers. This is the first year they competed and she had tons of input into the show. They did a wonderful job earning a I rating at districts and advanced to regional competition. I'm hoping they continue to compete and make it to States next year. Sadly Andrea will be off to college by then.






My friend Kevin Schneider, probably MIFA's most award winning director did Terra Nova the story of the1911 ill-fated race to the South Pole of the British under the leadership of Robert Scott and the Norwegian Roald Amundsen. The Norwegians made it back home; the Englishmen did not. The story is a memory piece told mostly from Scott's journal entries.





Kevin created the most amazing floating polar cap set complete with icebergs created from frames of Saran wrap, the Southern lights that played off of the ice , and howling fierce winds of Antartica.

And the costumes!!! You might remember Kevin in his costumer days here in the Lansing area working on shows like Man of LaMancha, and A Day in Hollywood, Night in the Ukraine. His costumes are always spectacular. Absolutely authentic looking costumes of heavy canvas, fur boot leggings, anoraks, giant fur and knitted mittens. Along with that he added incrediblly authentic props and an amazing wooden sled.








We were treated this weekend to three Greek tragedies; 2 Antigones and Eurydice. Malia Koger of Olivet HS won class D/C with her creative and scenicly splendid Eurydice. Her dad and the former award winning director from St. John's HS, Bob Koger, was there to cheer her on.





Winning Class B was the multi talented innovative director Jeannie Gilbert from John Glenn High School. They did the visually stunning Antigone using a back lit scrim, a raked round platform in the center of the playing space and 7 tall and moveable pillars. She used 3 different choruses that moved throughout the scenes imperceptibly and silently. Her gray clothed "statues" were amazing as they slowly moved from position to position. It took me a while to notice they were real and I nearly jumped out of my seat the first time I noticed they were moving. They were used so effectively to reposition the pillars throughout the play. I was mesmerized as I watched the major action center stage but also watched a diaphanously clad blue chorus of women slowly preparing a body for burial. I wish I had a stunning tableau from their show to share with you.



It was also a time to catch up with old friends, admired directors, and Jeff Nash who was judging States. Unfortunately I had to wait until the end of the tournament to really achmooze with Jeff because judges are sequestered and then kept extremely busy throughout the day. They appear a minute or two before the show and leave almost as the lights go up. Also, it's absolutely forbiddent to talk about any of the shows, even amongst the judges, until the end of the tournament and awards and winners are announced. So we had to wait until we could deconstuct the day and all that we saw.

Creating Wearable Art

Part 2...What have I been doing?

(African Trade Beads)

This January and February I have had the most fun creating jewelry for customers of mine. The big shows are over, there's kind of a lull before the next batch of shows, and it's the perfect time to fix, recreate, or redesign jewelry.

It's all about the hunt; the quest. Finding the right beads to create an individual piece of jewelry.

A customer of mine is a delightful woman from Ghana who has some fabulous African Trade Beads that she has collected over the years as gifts or on her journey back to home. It has been a joy to research the beads and create something unique that is faithful to the bead and her heritage. What is so wonderful about these beads is that they are made by women in small villages and a means of earning income for their families. The beads are imperfect, very rustic.

and wonderully earthy. No two beads are exactly alike.

I've been doing a lot of research about prayer beads and malas. There has been a renewed interest in both and helped along by the best selling book Eat, Pray, Love. Elizabeth Gilbert aligns the sections of her book and the chapters with the Sanskrit japa mala or prayer beads of 108 beads. I've had some customers ask if I could make necklaces or bracelets that would help them meditate, contemplate, or focus on prayer.

Japa Mala Prayer Beads

Happy Valentine's Day

Hope you have a wonderful valentine's day!

How Time Flies

Hi, I'm Jane and it's been 6 weeks since my last blog!

There, that's out! Either I have been really busy or I lead the most boring life ever. More likely it's the winter blahs.

Since my last post, I have gotten so sick of seeing snow. It has snowed almost everyday and the temperatures have been brutal.

So what have I been doing?? Hmmm....

As one of the theatre critics for The Lansing State Journal's Thespie awards, I've seen a lot of great theatre lately. I can recommend both Art at Williamston and Murderers at Boarshead. Both of them fabulous shows and both are still running so you can catch them.What a delight to see Carmen Decker back on stage and to catch Laural Merlington, a former Boarshead mainstay.

I had the honor of adjudicating the Michigan Interscholastic Forensic Associations' Play Festival a few weeks ago. Participating in this activity is one of the things I miss most about retirement. It is a challenge and an absolute blast! Schools choose an appropriate show for this season(comedy or serious), cut it to a little under 45 min, rehearse, build a set that is amazing but will travel well, and perform at competitions against other schools. We aren't talking about any whimpy "high school" shows here. Many schools choose really tough stuff. I saw a 45 minute version of "Sweeney Todd" the other day! The first level is districts, then if you qualify, on to regionals, and from there the very lucky and talented schools go to States. It is the only time in theatre that you get honest and specific feedback by your peers (there is an oral and written critique by 3 judges immediately after your performance), you get a chance to work on the show for another 2 weeks making it better, changing it, reworking it , and then you get to perform it again! Three different judges and another batch of interesting shows.
Tommorrow I'm off to see the shows at States and what a lineup; 2 Antigones. Eurydice, Blood Brothers, Terra Nova, Spoon River, Bury the Dead, Emma's Child among others. I'm looking to reconnect with old friends and directors whose work I admire so much.

And....I get to see Katie again and celebrate Valentine's Day!

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Let it Snow! And it did. So for my southern friends, here's your White Christmas. 10" of snow fell here in Michigan from New Year's Eve through last night. What a glorious sight.

In Detroit, where Katie lives, they received a whopping 16" of snow, a record for them.
A view from the backyard.
The towering pines that frame our yard.Izzy at almost 8 months playing with her favorite outdoor toy.

She spends a lot of time tossing the ball up in the air and catching it. A gift from her next door dog friend Maggie.