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You are here: Home / Archives for life

On Mary Tyler Moore

January 26, 2017 at 8:50 am by Claudia

Yesterday’s view of the mountains from my studio/office window.

Today? Very cloudy as of 8:30 a.m. I’m looking at that same view as I write this and I notice the rivers are back up to normal levels. They were alarming low for much of the summer and autumn, so this is good news.

Oh, Mary Tyler Moore. I was so saddened to hear of her death. Don and I, as you know, have been watching old episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show, and Tuesday night Don said “I hope Mary Tyler Moore is doing okay,” with a slightly worried tone to his voice. And then, the next day, this sad news.

She meant so much to me. I spent many Saturday evenings at my friend Jackie’s house watching The Mary Tyler Moore Show. I loved that groundbreaking comedy about a single woman working in a newsroom. Surrounded by all sorts of interesting characters, Mary was a beacon of sanity and humor and embodied what I wanted to be: a single girl who had a full life working and dating and living  – and who wasn’t bound by the assumption that one had to be married in order to have achieved something in life. And I did just that for many years. I tip my hat to Mary, with a grateful thank you.

How many of us wanted that apartment in the big house owned by Phyllis? It was charming. Beadboard, a lovely window on a raised level, a tiny and adorable kitchen, shag carpeting, a beamed cathedral ceiling. It was what every woman dreamed of – at least, everyone I knew at the time!

And on a side note, when I was a camp counselor during my college years, my friend Bev nicknamed me Rhoda because I reminded her of Rhoda as portrayed by Valerie Harper. For years and years, she called me Rhoda. I was honored.

Mary Tyler Moore was a wonderful actress and a marvelous comedienne. She was also an advocate for animals (another thing that I loved about her.) Don worked with her once, on a episode of The Naked Truth, a sitcom starring Tea Leoni. The episode was about a nudist camp! Don was sitting on the set and Mary got up, walked across the room, and introduced herself to him. I know that Don was more than a little in awe of her. She was everything you would expect her to be; gracious, kind, funny, professional, unassuming.

She will be missed. As we watched yet another episode of Dick Van Dyke last night, we kept saying, over and over, “Oh, Mary.” Oh, Mary, we love you.

Today, I am tuning out the world and simply remembering Mary Tyler Moore.

Tomorrow: a guest post from Don.

Happy Thursday.

 

Filed Under: life 40 Comments

Potpourri on Thursday

January 19, 2017 at 11:10 am by Claudia

• I’m posting a bit late this morning. I got up and realized I needed some half & half for my second cup of coffee. I’m incapable of doing anything until I finish my first cup. After that, I pulled on my jeans and a sweater and ran over to a nearby shop to buy some. Came back, made the second cup, signed onto the laptop…and my husband called. And now it’s 10:27.

A bit of a potpourri for you today:

• Staging the curtain call yesterday. The show is frozen now. I went to the performance last night, but I didn’t take any notes. It’s time to let the actors do their thing and trust that those notes will be incorporated at some point. Actually, this is a great cast and they appreciate notes and take them seriously. Opening night is tomorrow night. And then homeward I go on Saturday.

• When I arrive back home, Don will most likely not be there as he is doing everything in his power to  make it to the Women’s March in Washington D.C. on Saturday. Bravo, Don! He was torn about the whole thing, thinking he should be here for my opening night, but I encouraged him to go to D.C. Much more important. I’m frustrated and have been frustrated that I can’t be there, so he will represent the two of us. Fingers crossed that it all works out.

• Tonight at 5:30, I am taking part in what is called the Ghostlight Project. The ghostlight in a theater is the single bulb on a metal stand that is left to illuminate the stage at night. The Theater Community across the country is taking part in this national day of light, with a pledge to uphold the values we hold dear: inclusion, participation and compassion for everyone in the community. We will each bring a light as we reaffirm the importance of these values.

• As we face the inauguration tomorrow, I want to direct you to this post by John Pavlovitz. I don’t know whether you’re familiar with his blog, but it has fast become a favorite of mine and of my sister, as well. John is a minister with an activist’s heart. Today’s post: Let the Record Show, says everything I believe. Please give it a read.

As I lie awake at night thinking about what is to come, filled with fear and foreboding, I often go back to one thing: That man who shall be nameless mocking a disabled reporter. No matter how he tries to spin it these days, we saw it. Over and over and over again.

A vote for this man said that was acceptable behavior. No other way to spin that, either. Those who voted for him either thought that making fun of someone with a disability was okay, or by compartmentalizing that behavior, turned a blind eye to it. Equally reprehensible.

My nephew is disabled. By voting for him, they’ve given a ‘free and clear’ to making fun of my nephew – or anyone with a disability. You don’t want to mess with me when it comes to my nephew. Trust me.

Years ago, actually, not very long ago, this alone would driven him out of the race.

What have we come to?

I don’t have to ‘come together’ with anyone who, by voting for that sorry excuse for a human being, said that mocking a disabled person was worthy behavior for a candidate for the highest office in the land. Frankly, I don’t have to come together with anyone who thinks that’s acceptable in any  fellow human being. And the argument that he ‘didn’t really mean it?’ Yes, he did. He means everything he says as we will discover all too soon.

As to the voters who condoned that, who, by their silence, tacitly agreed? They’ll have to make their peace with it.

I could write a month’s worth of blog posts about what I find abhorrent and unacceptable about that man. You already know how I feel. I’ve made it abundantly clear.

But, as Don and I often say, that one thing – the mocking – was enough for us to wash our hands of him. It’s the behavior of an insecure, narcissistic bully, which I strongly suspect he has been all of his life. I have always fought for those who were bullied, even when I was a kid.

I’m not about to stop now.

Happy Thursday.

 

Filed Under: Don, Donald Trump, life, On The Road, theater 61 Comments

Grateful For The Distraction

January 12, 2017 at 9:47 am by Claudia

Old and new. This church in downtown Hartford is very, very old. I’ve wandered through the graveyard on the grounds many times. There you’ll find grave stones from the 1600s, each telling a story. But though the church is old, it’s in the midst of a city and its message is in tune with our times, with the issues of the day.

Not to go all preachy on you, but I have to remember this. Because, in the midst of yesterday’s sham of a press conference, the middle of the night vote to begin the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, the confirmation sessions, the threat to the press and free speech, the bullying, the man who would be dictator-in-chief – I have to believe that good will prevail.

At the moment, though, I have to be honest with you. I am disheartened and sickened.

But I have to work today. I have to type up notes and email them to the cast because I won’t have time to pass them out. We had a run-through last night, and we’ll be working through the play this afternoon with the first preview this evening. A very busy day.

I love my work. And, today, I am very, very grateful for the distraction.

Meanwhile, my husband is going to a protest this weekend, he’s going to organizational meetings, he’s working hard. We won’t stop fighting.

I didn’t use a different font because, let’s face it, this isn’t about petty politics. This is about the core of who we are as human beings on this earth. That crosses all political lines.

Happy Thursday.

Filed Under: life 56 Comments

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Welcome!

Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating, I love gardening. My decorating style is eclectic; full of vintage and a bit of whimsy.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

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