Nikolai Gogol’s Marriage

I am currently helping out a theatre company in Philadelphia called the Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium. It’s a mouthful I know, but they are a truly talented and dedicated theatre company, worthy of every hard earned dime we can rustle up to aide them on their creative journey.

Less than a month ago we launched a Kick Starter fundraising campaign. We shot a fantastic video, to document their latest production, Marriage (an utterly improbable occurrence in two acts), by Nikolai Gogol.

The IRC breathe new life into absurdist theatre classics. Work by Frisch, Giradoux, Ianesco, and Vian, masterpieces, rarely seen by theatre goers here, or for that matter, anywhere in the world. But the  IRC has a mission:  to render this timeless theatre genre alive, rescue it from obscurity and place it in the public eye.

We are all excited about our February, premiere, Marriage. The play tells a story of the reluctant suitor, coerced, in competition, to win the hand of  well dowried, bride to be, Agafya. Sound familiar?  Though it was written in 1833, it is, eerily similar to  modern matchmaking that happens, on reality TV. Picture an episode of  ”Millionaire Matchmaker” on Fox network and you have the idea.

Characters include a matchmaker, silly suitors, and a team of St. Petersburg cheerleaders, who throw their two rubles into an utterly hilarious  arena.

Have a look at our pitch. If you have a dollar or two to share, throw it in their hat. Every dollar counts. If you are a lover of the arts, show your support. If you are near or in Philadelphia, come out to see Marriage. You will not be disappointed!

Join me, and help the IRC continue on their absurd journey. Help us  preserve these rare theatrical gems. Give your nod of approval.  Throw two rubles into an  absurdist theatre troupe’s hat, so the Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium can continue to bring good nothingness to life.

Follow the link below to for a wonderful taste of what they do best! I thank you for listening to my pitch and give up some cash, if you can. If you can’t, just enjoy this. It will put a smile on your face!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1892580432/the-race-for-agafya-tikhonovna-kuperdyaginas-dowry/widget/card.html

http://kck.st/z420ZA

Red Balloons Protest

Goldman Sachs executives are pooping in their pants now. A peaceful protest took place outside of their gleaming towers the other day. I imagine the Goldman executives looking out from their corner offices seeing their  ill begotten fortunes flashed before their eyes in the form of floating red balloons, with letters to the CEO attached. The red balloons are a fantastic metaphor for the shield our government has provided these huge corporations so that they could get rich at the price of the other 99%, us. Profit before the people.

We can POP their bubble if we all stand together and OCCUPY. metaphorically speaking, we hold the needle. Government by the people, power of the people. We are the people. I have included a link to an article I read on Alternet. Read it and see if you don’t agree. This peaceful protest serves as an incredible example for all Americans. It sent a clear message to the execs at Goldman’s and all other monopolistic corporations that are bedfellows of our “elected” officials.  There wasn’t a damn thing the police or anyone on the security staff at Goldman Sachs could do about it. Makes me laugh out loud. I wonder if they might have considered shooting them with rubber bullets!

The real point is that this protest forced Goldman Sachs to take notice, to look at their past behavior and to seriously consider how they will go ahead in the future if they are to survive, or better yet fade off into the sunset. A new day is upon us. We have a right and a responsibility to take part in this movement; dare I say modern American revolution. Here’s to peaceful protest and red balloons; a child’s delight and beacon for progress.

Biometric Door Locks and Bulletproof Windows: How Occupy Wall Street Is Scaring the Heck out of the 1% | News & Politics | AlterNet.

Lucky Duck

This picture came from another blog I have joined. It was a writing prompt. Here is the poem I wrote after looking at it.

Lucky Duck

Before my eyes alit, I knew

When

I looked up

Who

I would see

You’ve come unannounced to visit

Delighted to see you, though

Not surprised

You are with me each moment

I am away

Break of day into night

Lifeblood

Once strangers, now

Kindred spirits

We

Kismet?

Not so

Life

Hit or miss

Sliding doors

Serendipity smiles

One and one makes two

You and I

Universal sum

I memorize you daily

Your form, your smell,

your tongue

I watch as you lay there bathed

Early morning sun

A vision that sustains me

In my head while I’m gone

Away

Halved and

Whole

Our song

Drowns out the morning

Quacks

Fowl who must die

At my hands

You must have sensed my dismay

This morning as I sulked

To see you here

Pure joy

My love

For you

I consider myself

Lucky Duck

Thank You Mr. Buffet

Here is a link to a New York Times Opinion piece written by none other than mega-rich Warren Buffet. He is to be commended for writing this. Our government officials need to wake up and listen! Enough is enough!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/15/opinion/stop-coddling-the-super-rich.html

 

Refuge

Today I post a poem. I haven’t shared any of my poetry to date, as it is usually on the more personal side of my life. But my friend’s sage advice, that to be a writer one must share her work, rings very loud in my head. Here goes! I would love to hear some feedback.

REFUGE

A November
moon above
My world
you enter

We exchange
our details
We share
common threads
Woven
between us

Feels as if I have
known you
before
my life
fell apart at her seams

I tell you I cry
you listen
I long to let go
you hear

You speak of your life
I open my heart
Your confusion
I see

We both know

Time has passed
March Ides upon us

Tis I
now confused
What to call
our coupling
Love?

Past ghosts
won’t allow me
such whim

If not love
what holds us

here and now

I wonder

I ask

You lay a warm hand
on my shoulder

You pull me in

Refuge
you say
My dear

I sleep soundly

under your arm

“What is Love?” He asked

“What is love?” He asked. Laura thought a moment, then answered with an uncharacteristic short-winded reply.

” I don’t claim to be an expert. As you well know, I  haven’t had much success in matters of the heart. I think that love can be defined differently in each moment of each day. It changes constantly.”

They continued walking. Evening heat rose, First Friday in Old City Philadelphia; always a scene. Love-question lingered mid-air. In hindsight, she thought her answer quite ridiculous and wished to be in a quieter place where they could sip wine and pontificate, each on love’s soapbox of wows. What is love?

His arm went round her shoulder as he guided her up three steps into a gallery where cool air promised welcome relief. She was soon caught up and stopped to videotape the eclectic collection of paintings and patrons. Thirsty, he wandered further in search of an open bar . Lost in i pad 2 mode, ten minutes quickly  passed.  She slipped her newest toy back into her bag in time to feel  a familiar hand fall on her hip. They both smiled  as he handed her a drink. An impression remained where his hand had just been.

She felt a shift inside, glimmer of first-love, long past. What is love? Tonight?  Is it not a flutter of warmth that remains after a subtle caress? Gentle pressure on a girl’s hip that reminds her she is still alive? A smile of reassurance afterward? So simple a gesture, a touch wrought with meaning and remembrance of what can be.

NOTE: This is my first official attempt at a short story in many years. Short and sweet. I welcome any and all comments, opinions and feedback!

The “Citizen Gap”

Ten days ago the Department of Education released  its 2010 NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) civics test results. Commonly refered to as our nation’s report card, the data reveals that only 22% of  eighth graders in the US can name a first amendment right. Among  fourth graders,  only 27% can name the purpose of the Constitution. Things do not become rosier as students progress.  By twelfth grade,  just 24% can define melting pot and argue whether it applies to our country. It astounds me that such a vital part of a public school education  has virtually disappeared from the curriculum.  A democracy cannot survive without educated citizens and for it to thrive requires an informed, involved and active citizenry.  We can no longer ignore this issue. .

The Department of Education tested 27,000  students in fourth, eighth and twelfth grades. Topics covered included questions about the  three branches of government, the Bill of rights, the Constitution etc., very general knowledge I say.   When our children come of age and the country is in their hands they will be neither ready or able  to handle the responsibility.  This fact should make adults uneasy and demands swift action before it is too late.  Our country will certainly be a different place if we fail to instill how important it is for each citizen to take part on both a national and  community level.

Problems in our government system create gaps between groups of  citizens. In the sixties it was a  generation gap.  This poor quality of education creates an all new kind of gap in our country, the citizen gap. It marks the difference between the acceptably educated and informed electorate we have today and the potentially clueless children who will grow up and claim this position in society tomorrow. This is a frightening fact to fathom. Who will vote?

Adults, especially parents, are responsible for teaching the fundamentals of civic duty until kindergarten. When kids enter kindergarten our schools should take over to build upon this foundation. . If you look at these test scores we can see that this is not happening.  Reading, writing and math are certainly important, but civic knowledge is  a vital ingredient of a well-balanced education. No child left behind is a great idea in theory, but not so great if  important subjects such as civics  fall to the wayside. Time for all of us to, use our  voices and write our senators and congressman about this pressing and fundamental weakness in our education system.  Bring  back civics. The future of our country depends on it!

Taos I Hear Her Calling

This is an essay I wrote today. I am vying to win a free spot at a writer‘s retreat in Taos New mexico this summer. Please read it and let me know what you think. I am excited, hopeful and  proud of the writing. If I do not win, it was a fantastic lesson in brevity, editing and verb usage.

I have added a link to the website here. Please click like there too. Every click counts towards my chance to win!

Thanks to all of you for reading. Wish me luck! I will keep you posted!

Taos I Hear Her Calling
“We’ll
take the house…It’s been pre-disastered.”

I will be divorced soon. My life is like this house in “The World According to
Garp”–pre-disastered. I am ready for reprieve, reinvention and rediscovery of
forgotten dreams.

Four lines have formed on my forehead and will  forever bear witness to my past, my
story, and to life’s ups and downs. I could explain them,  lament each one, or
fill them with botox. Instead, I embrace them. They are my badges; they are why
I write this plea.

I am a chef by trade, a mother by choice, and a writer from the moment I could
hold a pencil. I love food, I adore my children, and writing brings me peace. My
vision is to unite these three in a place I call Cookbook.
A virtual, multi-cultural table where people worldwide can come to read, write
about, and share food–a universal need. Food is life. Food is me. It is what I
savor, and what I will serve.

I long for a place at this table of writers.
I see food. I hear laughter. I taste salt of shed tears.

I feel her embrace, I release all my fears.

Taos, she calls me,  a soft voice in my ear.

I am whole, she has freed me, with vision so clear.

Whew! Finito! Muy bien, gracias and bon appetit!

Washing Machine Talk

In my search for writing  inspiration I came across this TED talk today. It seemed very àpropos considering the fact that 15 loads of laundry awaited my attention. After listening, I finished my laundry and made a vow with myself. I am very fortunate to have a washer and dryer, and I will try my level best not to shirk my laundry duties as I have done the past 2 weeks. I look forward to climbing into my crisp, clean sheets tonight. 

Have a look at it. 

I have another post in the works, I hope to finish  tomorrow. Until then. Hope that you find as much inspiration in this talk as I did. I have rediscovered my laundry room floor. Happy washing to you! 

What A Tethered Life We Lead

We lead virtual tethered lives, we do. In one way or another, we are all attached to, in love with, or virtually addicted to one form of technology or another. We run into each other on sidewalks, too busy texting. We ignore our children , while we wait for important e-mail. We sit at bistro tables, look up movie titles, we can’t seem to remember, meanwhile, a $20 Lyonnaise salad goes limp. Tragic tales, tragic times, on the social interaction front. Have we lost touch with reality?

 As we go about our tech-drenched lives houses grow silent,  books collect dust and feelings get ignored. Real emotion takes a side car as we cruise down techno-lane.   Technology distracts us from the world at large. Have you ever tried to pry a sixteen year old boy away from his x box? Not an effortless task! Have you ever been so caught up in a page on your computer, that you ignored your phone ring, or your dog beg to go outside? I have.  What is  going on here? Is this really how I want to live? Will this techno-rage spell the end of real social interaction as we know it?

I am acutely aware of a techno- rift that has arisen in my home.  I have two teenagers, each armed with a Macbook, courtesy of  my daughter’s prep school and a generous friend of my son’s. For years, we had but one lowly desktop, for me  to watch over. It served us well up to a point. Now I am a commanding officer in the tech- rental  army, a.k.a. parental computer patrol.  I check user  history, Facebook  content and cyber manners . I set limits, my children often overstep.

I did not allow video games in our home, until Nintendo released Wii fit. At last, I thought, a  road to connect  with my kids. My  hopes were quickly dashed, as they lost interest soon after the end of their Christmas Break. Next came the onset of Guitar Hero. No go, my kids are not gentle souls, this  hunk-o plastic junk could not withstand  a daily beating. What is a mother to do? How shall I react to this onslaught of techno-fever?  

Gone are the days of   TV tag, go to my graveyard and neighborhood carnivals to raise money for muscular dystrophy. The world has changed drastically since then. How can I recreate some of that innocence I experienced as a kid for my own children? Is it even possible?  I will now turn my laptop off,  unplug for a while and give it more serious thought.   In the meantime, where did I set that  Wii remote, time for my virtual workout.

Oh, my, no! I think I feel a fever coming on.