Yep, yep, yep... long time no post!! It's a pattern with me... or had you noticed?? :D
Lots of stuff happening, or has happened and don't even get me started on the politics in this province!! We have the classic case of why politicians are stereotyped as liars, cheats and untrustworthy people.
But... let's start with the good stuff. Bridget and I had the most marvelous 2-day adventure this week! I was soooo excited! I managed to get tickets to see WICKED which is currently playing at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle. Now... it is playing in NYC on Broadway and probably in other major US cities but for the time being, flying is not an option for me. Too much trouble with the feet and legs... I just don't think tempting deep vein thrombosis would be a good idea ;) BUT, Seattle is within driving distance... so my dream of actually seeing Wicked is now a possibility.
Wicked Official Website
What is WICKED?? This is a musical that first opened on Broadway on Oct 30, 2003 and is about:
"Long before Dorothy dropped in, two other girls meet in the Land of Oz. One, born with emerald green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. How these two unlikely friends end up as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch makes for the most spellbinding new musical in years."
So, you get the picture... it's all about the witches, the two main ones, plus NessaRose, the sister that Dorothy's house fell on. It's based on the book by Gregory MacGregor and tells the story of Oz from a totally different perspective. Many say that the Musical does not follow the book, but I beg to differ. I think it did a very good job of following the book, considering the time limits putting on a stage musical has, whereas the book is a thick book that covers many, many years in Oz.
Suffice it to say... the musical was fantastic!! It was everything that I was hoping for and then some. I was enthralled with the whole show from the moment it started until the curtain came down. It was so magical for me and during the number, "Defying Gravity" I seriously thought I was having an out of body experience. Now THAT is the magic of theatre... to be so swept up with what is going on on stage and to feel like one is part of the story ... well, it doesn't happen often and when it does, it's something you'll never forget. I can't help but tell everyone, if you have a chance to see this show, do not hesitate or ponder whether you should see it or not. GO! You won't be disappointed!
Meanwhile, this little road trip was a huge accomplishment in my journey. I packed the car, including the little four-legged diva and we headed south. From where I live to Seattle, depending on how long the wait is at the border crossing, it usually is about a 3 hour drive (if one is keeping to the speed limit). When I got close to the border, the readograph said there was a 60 minute wait at the Peace Arch crossing and a 25 minute wait at the Truck crossing. So it was a no brainer.. we went to the truck crossing.
Hehe... I was giving status updates on Facebook, until I lost my connection with my cell phone. I did get a message from my service provider (Rogers) that said since I was now in the USA, I had to turn my "roaming" on and it gave me instructions on how I was to do this. I did it, but still didn't seem to have a connection. So onwards I went... from the border, it took about 1 1/2 hours to drive to Lynnwood where my friend, Bonnie, lives. She gave me great directions in an email on how to get to her place... and I found it with no problem.
She and her husband, John, have a lovely house which is so Pacific Northwest! Lots of windows to let the light in and it sits on land surrounded by lots of trees and greenery. It is sooo quiet and is a true PNW environment. They also have a lovely black lab whose name is Maggie. Maggie LOVES her tennis balls and would love for you to throw them oh, 24/7 would be fine with her :) As with all labs, they do not get tired easily when doing what they consider their job :) Both Bonnie and I thought it might take a few minutes for the two dogs to tell each other off and figure out who was the Queen of the house and who had to settle for Princess. But it was the most amazing thing... from the moment Bridget waltzed into the house, her and Maggie had a sniff or two of each other and both accepted each other as if they had lived together since birth. They got along so well, that there was no problem leaving both of them in the house together while we went out for dinner and the theatre.
When we came home, both were settled in and doing just fine. Although, there was one very funny moment. Bonnie and I sort of just settled in the living room and were talking about the show and whatever else we came up with and Bridget went into the kitchen. A few minutes later, she would bark.. just a single bark, but one that obviously was a command for us. We ignored it but she did it again. So we both got up and there she was, staring at Maggie's water bowl, which was like the size of a large salad bowl. Bridget just stared at it and barked. So I told her... "Yes, that is Maggie's waters... you can have some" But not a chance... she then turned to Bonnie as if to say, "Help me!" It was soooo obvious that she was not going to drink out of that big bowl. She knows that water comes in small Bridget size bowls. Hahaha, so Bonnie got her one of the cat's bowls, filled it with water and Bridget drank as if she hadn't had a drink in months. It was so darn funny... she was adamant she wanted water but there is no way she was going to be conned into drinking from a salad bowl... she knows that her water comes in smaller, princess-doggy bowls :)
So Bonnie and I had a lovely visit and I was thrilled that I could make the trip down AND go out for the evening. Then, in the morning we yakked some more and next thing we knew, it was noon! So we packed up my stuff and Bridget's stuff and it was time for us to hit the road. I was wanting to get back to Vancouver before the rush hour started... and I did! It was a great trip down to Seattle and a great trip back. And the weather was absolutely perfect, although a little warm for this time of the year! When I arrived at Bonnie's on Tuesday afternoon, it was 95F (about 33C). When I got home on Wednesday afternoon, it got much cooler once I was at the water... at my place it was about 81F (hmmm about 25C), which is still lovely, especially for this time of September! I LOVE Fall!!
I am so very pleased with myself. This is the first "road trip" I have made in THREE YEARS!! Seriously, I have not been able to drive that far, or be that far away from doctors/treatments, etc. and it was just like the days pre-diagnosis! Oh sure, I was tired when I got home. Driving is a challenge for my feet/legs. With the nerve damage in the feet, it is impossible to keep them in one position on the long drives (like on the gas pedal), but in city driving, it is very painful to be in rush hour, bumper-to-bumper traffic because one has to keep their foot on the clutch and brake while waiting. The nice thing with highway driving... I refreshed my memory on how to use the Cruise Control!! Aha!! Now that is the secret to highway driving! It means I can flex my feet and change position, without interfering with the speed I am going at.
Soooo, going anywhere that requires a lot of city driving is out still... but I'm thinking I might be able to master the highway driving trips :) Not sure if I had to do it every day... I definitely was tired when I got home. And I did stay home today to work at home... even though it was another gorgeous day out!!
Tomorrow, I'm off to Granville Island (just over the bridge from where I am). I am meeting my friend, Alison, for lunch and then we are heading to the Arts Club for a meeting on what the various theatre groups that belong to the GVPTA (Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Association) are going to do about the current government's lies and plans to cut 91% of funding invested in Arts and Culture.
Hehehe... I'm not going to bore you all with all the lies and condescension of this current BC government. But if you are interested, check out some of these links...
What the Arts Teach Us About Business and Life
BC Government Cuts $20 Million for Arts Groups
Submission to Vancouver City Council
Kim Cattrall takes a shot at BC arts funding cuts
(for this one, the comments under the article are very informative... more so than the article itself)
Anywho... the list goes on and on. This is the first time I've actually turned into an Arts Activist and have attended some of the meetings and protest rallies against this government and what they are doing to this province. Obviously I can't put the whole story here in this blog entry... I don't know if there's enough room :)
Besides, it is after 1am and I do have to get up in the morning and get ready to meet my friend, Alison, for lunch down at Granville Island and then we are off to another meeting regarding these government cuts to Arts funding.
Ta ta for now!!
Cheryl
