This past Sunday was All Saints Sunday when we honor the people who have gone on before us. This was my first All Saints Sunday at CUMC and it was a beautiful service. While I did not personally know many of the members who left us over the past year, I was very moved still.
Susie Arioli is a Canadian jazz singer. I first heard her on an NPR program. It was one of those moments that I immediately wrote her name down so that I would remember it. And I did. I have several of her CDs and am always on the lookout for more of her recordings. Enjoy!
This is a crock pot recipe and now that autumn is upon us, this will be a delicious and easy meal.
BBQ Country Style Pork Ribs in the Crock Pot
4 country style pork ribs
1 Tbsp Salt
1/2 Tbsp Pepper
1/4 tsp Cumin
1/2 Tbsp Chili Powder
3/4 Tbsp Garlic Powder
1/2 Tbsp Paprika
3/4 Tbsp Onion Powder
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 cup BBQ Sauce
Combine all ingredients except for pork and bbq sauce. Rub spice blend all over pork ribs and place in crock pot. Pour bbq sauce over the ribs. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 8.
Enjoy!
I got these shelves from Grandmother. I will honestly admit, and I can't say this very often, that I do not remember where she had these shelves in her house. They originally came from Aunt Billie's house in Wilmington. That, I remember. They hung in her dining room over the music cabinet. She displayed some of her after dinner coffee cups on them. Yes, I've done that too. Love those cups.
Even though the shelves are broken, they are very much a part of my house. I love how they look and I love being able to use them and display my treasures there. Right now, part of my pig collection is displayed there. I should take a picture of that LOL I will probably keep them there until it's time to decorate for Christmas. I realize that years from now, someone may toss these aside because of their condition. Until then, I love having some family history on the wall!
As simple as this may sound, walking with confidence and purpose totally changes my perspective. I have realized that when I am in public, I tend to shrink physically. I think it is a subconscious effort not to be noticed, not to draw attention to myself. Part of that is social anxiety, I know. I'm working on that one. But I have realized that it takes a toll on my self-worth. It's almost as if I am apologizing for being there. I find myself doing this at work all the time, which is strange because I have nothing to apologize for, for being at work.
A few weeks ago, when I was walking in between buildings at our community, for some reason I began walking with purpose. It was very empowering and I carried that throughout my day. I noticed that I stood straighter when I did that. My shoulders were back and broad. And something about walking like that made me feel better. I felt more in control. I'm not sure what I felt more in control of, but the feeling was definitely there LOL Even from parking the car in the morning to entering the building, when I walk like that it changes my whole outlook for the entire day. I like that feeling.
It also helps with my back pain. I have no shame in admitting that I have developed a nice big belly. I look like I'm about to drop twins, but that's a story for a different day haha! But when I walk with confidence, something about the way I am carrying myself eases the pain brought on by my poor physical shape. Now when I am out somewhere, I do try to move with conviction and decision. It totally changes how I experience outings. I never realized how something so small could make just a huge difference in my perspective, but it does. Now I just need to work on my posture while I'm sitting. LOL One thing at a time!
Yesterday morning before church, I listened to the weekly Music and the Spoken Word program presented by Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. It's always a lovely program and this was one of the selections that they sang. I have always found this song to be so inspirational and full of hope. They do a lovely job with it.
I will admit that I have honestly no idea where I found this recipe, but I know it was online. I think it may have come from Cooking with Meme on YouTube but I'm not sure. Anyway, wherever I saw it, I thought it looked really good and wanted to try it. That's what I did, and I was not disappointed at all! This was very tasty. I had it for dinner one night, but it would make a wonderful breakfast entree as well.
Zucchini and Sausage Bake
1 lb sausage
3 Tbsp flour, divided
3 cups shredded zucchini
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup cottage cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup shredded parmesan
Shredded cheddar
Brown sausage. Put into a bowl and mix with 1 Tbsp flour. Set aside. Cook zucchini in sausage drippings. Add 2 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp flour. Cook until tender. 5-6 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine cottage cheese, egg and parmesan.
Use an 8X10 casserole. Put sausage down. Top with zucchini. Top with cottage cheese mixture. Cook at 350 for 30 minutes. Top with cheddar. cook 10 more minutes.
Needless to say, some of my cabinets and drawers are packed to the gills. It's especially frustrating with drawers because I'll pull out a utensil, things will shift in the drawer and then I can't get it closed back. I then spend a good 5 minutes trying to arrange the utensils so that the drawer can close. Sometimes I am not very successful, and exasperation forces me to wedge the drawer shut. Or I'll have a bowl that's just slightly over the edge of the shelf because it won't go back any farther and now the cabinet door stays ajar. I love to cook and I use my kitchen stuff all the time, but it's getting to be a might ridiculous.
That is my goal for "One drawer at a time" this weekend. I am going to go through and organize these cabinets. I am going to get rid of multiples. I am bad at convincing myself to keep things because I may need a backup one day. You know, if I do need a backup, I will go out and get one. I don't need to keep this army of kitchen tools that become an irritant during the cooking process. It will be hard, but I can do it. And then I can open drawers and cabinets with ease. It's the little things that make me happy, people LOL
I will say that, overall, my mental health is pretty good. I have been through periods in my life where my mental health has not been good, so I have become pretty astute at recognizing when I'm in a bad place. But there is always room for improvement. Even when I'm in a good place, it can always get better. One of the ways I want to improve my mental health is taking some time each day to disconnect from technology. I don't mean to disconnect from people but from technology. It has become such an invasive part of all of our lives. We're either on our phones or on the computer or watching some streaming service that many of us never take the time to just be present in the moment.
When I log onto my personal computer and get on the internet, it goes to a home page that I cannot change. I have tried to change it but it never works. It's a news page. Well, a "news" page. Its stories are full of violence and sadness, and this is what I see each morning. I try my best to quickly go somewhere else, but it is so easy to get sucked into some of these horrible stories. And then websites like Facebook are not much better. So many stories of the atrocities in our world and in our country especially. While I do understand the need to know about things going on in society, it can definitely overload one's brain and cause mental anxiety. That is no way to live.
Streaming can be the same way and that is unfortunate. How sad it is that one cannot watch television without these horrible political ads thrown in at quite a high rate. And these are ads on both sides of the political aisle. They are just depressing. I only pay for one streaming service and that payment is the very basic plan. I am not going to upgrade and pay more just to avoid commercials. I'm a child of the 80s. Commercial breaks do not frighten me away. It's just the content of them these days. I am constantly watching tv with my finger on the mute button when these horrible ads come on. The free streaming services I use are just as bad. So, I have been limiting what I watch and how much. Thank goodness that I have an abundance of DVDs that I can pop in when I just want to relax and have a peaceful watching experience.
So, my goal is to make a conscious effort to limit my exposure to these kinds of things. I thought a lot about this yesterday at work. When I got into work, I was told about a problem with our internet that had started the night before. While there were obvious problems that were caused by the lack of internet with our med techs and our check in systems, many people were freaking out because they could not get on their phones or on their computers. I found myself to be pretty calm over the situation and enjoyed, for the most part, just doing what I needed to and connect with the residents. I liked that feeling and want to have more of that in my day. That is the goal. Put down the phone, get off of the computer and just be present for a little while each day. I can do that.
I do enjoy a nice piece of silver, and I have collected some really beautiful pieces over the years. And I am not afraid of good silverplate pieces. Most people gravitate towards sterling because it's more valuable but if I really like a piece, I don't care if it's plated or sterling. I have also inherited some lovely pieces of silver as well. This round tray is one of the pieces that I got from Mom. Technically, it belonged to Mom and Dad, but Dad doesn't really care about such things, so I always consider it to be Mom's.
This is a serving tray. A round serving tray that is about 12 inches in diameter. It has a lovely border on it that is about 1 inch deep all the way around with intricate gingerbread work. It is not anything extremely fine, but it is something that is extremely special. My parents met in 1966 when they both were teaching at Bethel High School. Dad taught physical education and Mom taught English. They both graduated from East Carolina University but were four years apart and so their paths did not cross until Bethel.
They were married on July 28, 1968. This tray was a wedding gift to them. It was presented to them by the senior class at Bethel High School. They had it engraved so that Mom and Dad would always remember them. I think that's so special that the students came together to do something like that for two of their favorite teachers. The tray sat in a cabinet for most of my childhood and like so many other pieces in that cabinet it was only for display. I don't recall Mom ever using it. You know me, though, I love to bring it out and use it when I entertain. And even though polishing it is kind of a pain because of the gingerbread work, it's still beautiful to me.
I think the next time I have people over, I need to use this tray. Come on over and see!
Cranberry Meatballs
1 bag frozen meatballs
1 14oz can of whole cranberry sauce
1/4 cup Ketchup
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp frank's hot sauce
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 Tbsp brown sugar
Place meatballs in your crock pot. Mix all other ingredients together and pour over meatballs. Cook on low for 4-5 hours.
So, I am going back to my list system. It works for me and I actually get things done. I kept thinking that, as an adult, I should be able to remember all of the things that I need to do without writing them down. That was so wrong. I am so far behind on so many things that I may need to double the length of my daily list just in order to catch up. And you know what? I'm so excited about it. That is how my adult life goes. I am excited about my to-do lists LOL Ah, well. I have a daily planner that I use that really helps. Each month has its own calendar and then daily pages because, you know, that's how daily planners work LOL I have certain things that I do each day of the week and it's so easy to transpose those chores from week to week when I'm writing them down. I also don't overload my daily to-do list if I'm keeping track of it. Makes me more productive.
As exciting as this is to all you know, and I know that it is, I am going to end this little insight into my life. I am off from work today and so I need to go and check my list to see what needs to be done! Ah, these crazy escapades in adulting.
I've been thinking a lot about my friend Lorraine. One week ago, her husband left this world. They had 28 wonderful years together. I was privileged to be in their wedding. Theirs was a beautiful love story and my heart goes out to her. We should all be so lucky in love.
The trash and donate piles can be tricky for me though. Sometimes I wonder if I should donate items that are not perfect and need repair. Or should I just trash them. I watch a show on tv called Money For Nothing. It's a British show where this woman goes to the dump and finds items being thrown out and repurposes them. It's a pretty entertaining show and some of the things she and her artisans come up with are outstanding. So, when I am looking at something that I think I need to just throw out, I will often stop myself and wonder if someone could do something with it. I keep hearing that little voice in my head saying one man's trash is another man's treasure. Sometimes I want to mute that voice because it makes me think too hard LOL And I end up donating because for one, it's true that someone may be able to do something with it. And also, it won't end up in the landfill because I saw little value in it. Oh, well.
Right now, I'm still in the kitchen working so most everything is in pretty good shape to put into piles. I'll keep going and once I get a good donation pile going, I will take it to the appropriate place and let it go. Every pile has its value and forcing myself to make decisions like this is a good thing. It's not as easy as you see on all of those home improvement shows, but it can be done!
As an adult, I have become a morning person. I never saw that one coming as a teenager. I can get a lot more done in the morning when I put my mind to it. I am not always productive in the morning, but I know that the possibility is there. Some mornings I'm just lazy LOL When Michael and I were together, I got up before he did and that morning time was like my sanctuary. It was my alone time and I cherished that. That is kind of when I first learned that I needed some alone time each day to focus on myself. So, I got used to getting up early. Now, that I am single, I really don't have that excuse, but I still get up early.
Last night, I told myself that I was going to sleep in this morning. I went to bed around 11:00 p.m. I purposely did not set my alarm. I turned on my radio instead and let it play all night. I love those nights when I can let the radio play and have music in the background while I'm drifting in and out of sleep. But then 6:15 a.m. comes around and BAM. I am awake. No alarm except for my body alarm. And it's not the kind of awake that I can say I'll just roll back over and go back to sleep. I am awake. I even remind myself that I am off today and do not have to be anywhere this morning. That held no influence this morning. I went ahead and got up, made my coffee and here I am.
I am not complaining that I cannot sleep in intentionally anymore. It is just disappointing sometimes because it feels like a luxury that escapes me. Ah, the joys of adulthood.
Stephanie and I went to see Guys and Dolls last night at UNCG. It was so much fun. My 4th time seeing the show onstage. The score is full of so many wonderful songs. The cast did an impeccable job with the show. Afterwards, we were discussing the film version. A Bushel and a Peck is Miss Adelaide's first number. This song was became very popular and was recorded by many artists yet was cut from the film. Interesting. Here is Faith Prince and company from the 1992 Broadway Revival.
If you know me at all, you know that I love dishes. I can't help it, I just do. I give credit to Mom and Grandmother for that one. Along with the love of antiques they instilled in me, a love of nice dishes goes along with that. And that goes hand in hand with entertaining. I love to set the table, as you should have figured out by now LOL To me, that sets the mood for a meal. The food just enhances that mood LOL
I have several sets of china. I admit it. I am addicted to it. But I also really like to collect different serving pieces. While it's fun to have the table laid out in one pattern, I like to add to that with different serving pieces. This butter dish is one of them. I found it at the Golden Antiques shop in Summerfield, NC. It was one of those I just turned around and it was there experiences. I have several different butter dishes, but I was drawn to this one for some reason. I did not have a glass one yet.
Glass butter dishes are not hard to find, and they range from reasonable to relatively expensive depending on the age, pattern and quality of the piece. I love the fact that most antique glass butter dishes are round. It's a reminder that people used to make their own butter and then mold it into shapes. You don't often find round butter in the grocery store. I don't think I've ever seen it actually. Anyway, I was drawn to this particular one because of the simplicity of its design. And most butter dishes are flat on the bottom, but this one has a small foot on the bottom. I love any dish that's footed, so that was a plus. And it's versatile because it can go with all kinds of sets of china.
While I haven't churned my own butter, I have made some herb butter which goes nicely in this dish. Like most of what I buy, I love to use these kinds of things and look forward to having this on my table for years to come.
Apparently, this recipe (and its many versions) has been around for years. I have no idea how I missed it. We didn't have it growing up and I don't recall anyone else serving it to me. But when I saw this on an episode of Cooking with Meme on YouTube, I thought I would give it a try. I really did enjoy it. It is not something I would want to make all the time, but every now and then it will be a good dish for Sunday Dinner! If you have never tried it, let me know what you think. If you have or have your own version, I would love to hear some of the different things you add to it.
Mazetti Casserole
12 oz package of egg noodles
2 lbs ground beef
1 lb ground pork or pork sausage
1 pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 Tbsp garlic powder
2 cups chopped celery
2 cans tomato soup
1 jar of sliced mushrooms
8 oz cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 325. Cook noodles as directed. Drain and set aside. Brown meet. Drain. Sauté vegetables in butter. Add garlic powder. Toss meat and vegetables together. Add noodles. Add soup and mushrooms. Pour into casserole. Top with cheese. Bake uncovered for 1 hour.
Enjoy!
The kitchen is an easy place just to stuff something in a drawer or cabinet because it's convenient in the moment. That's where my issue is, I believe. That and the fact that plastic containers seem to be able to multiply when no one is watching. It is just starting to get out of control and I don't like that. Overall, I am probably using my kitchen more than any other room in the house, so I need to have it organized better. That is why I am going to ditch my original plan and get back into the kitchen. It's the heart of my house, so once it is in good working order I believe everything else will fall into place more gracefully. That is the plan, anyway. We shall see.
I often like to repurpose pieces in my house so that they are used to their full potential. Then something happens that makes me want to use the piece for its intended purpose. That is what I am working on right now. Well, not really working on it but it's in the back of my mind as another project so we shall see how that goes!
As I have been going through boxes in the garage, consolidating and getting rid of things, I came across several boxes of music. My piano music. Not just mine, but music that belonged to generations before me. Thumbing through that music brought back so many good memories. I really miss sitting at a piano and playing. It's so therapeutic for me that I think it would do me good to get back into it. Now, to find a piano. Anyway, I have a lot more sheet music than I anticipated. My personal sheet music spans from my beginnings in piano playing circa 1980 up through college. I stopped buying music for the piano after that simply because I didn't have anything to play it on.
I didn't have to throw much of it out, which was nice. But I would recycle things that were incomplete. I used to make lots of copies of music that I borrowed from others and there really is not a point in holding onto it if I don't have the completed piece. Luckily, that was at a minimum. So, what I need to do next is organize my music and start to catalog it. You know I love a good inventory LOL But going back to my original thought is my music cabinet. I want to store my music in the cabinet like it should be stored. Right now, the cabinet is full of linens. I can eventually find another place for them so that I can make room for the music. Once I did store records in there because the shelves are the perfect size for it. But now they have their own home which works.
It really has been fun looking through the music. There are all types of genres there. Multiple hymnals. Classical music, new age piano, showtunes. I have several books of early 19th century popular songs that Mom and I used to sit at the piano and play and sing. Music I played in church with Suzanne Jewell back in the days at FBC Monroe. So many good memories. Even the recital pieces I played. I was never a fan of recitals, but I can look back on them fondly now.
So, I am adding that project to my ever-growing list. I think that if I have everything organized and where it should be, I may just get motivated enough to find a piano to start playing again. We shall see.
I finally finished a book LOL It only took me about 2 months this time, so I'm getting faster. Maybe. Oh, well. Still, I got it done. That makes it sound more like a chore than something for fun but I did actually enjoy it. It was a mystery called Murder By Cheesecake. It's a novel by Rachel Ekstrom Courage and based on the characters from The Golden Girls. It appears that this will be a series of mysteries involving the four ladies. I enjoyed it but I didn't love it. The author tries very hard to put in references from the show and those parts really fell flat. Timing was a key element of the tv show and sometimes that does not translate to the written form. The author did best when she took those basic characteristics that we already knew and built upon them. There were times that I laughed out loud from something creative she added. I will probably read more in the series to see how thing evolve.
That's been about it for my fun list lately. I have cooked some new recipes that I have enjoyed and will share them on my blog later on. I am hoping to go hear a concert Monday evening and then spend next weekend with Dad for his birthday. The weekend after that I have a few days off so I am figuring out something fun to do. I'll keep you posted!
Sometimes I will look for a recipe based on what I've got on hand so that I can use it up and not waste it. This recipe was one of those. I had an open jar of sliced jalapenos in my fridge and some chicken in the freezer I wanted to use. The internet search resulted in this recipe from Allrecipes.com. I really enjoyed it and it was not too spicy for me so it will go into my recipe canon.
Jalapeno Chicken
6-8 boneless chicken thighs
1 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp Honey
Juice from 1 lime
1/4 cup minced jalapenos*
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp black pepper
Mix broth, honey, lime juice and jalapenos over medium heat. Cook down until thickened and syrupy.
Mix spices together. Coat chicken in rub and arrange on a baking sheet. Cook 15 minutes at 400. Baste with broth mixture. Cook 15 more minutes. Baste again. Cook 10-15 more minutes.
*the original recipe called for 1/2 jalapeno minced. I just guessed the translation into pre sliced jalapenos and this seemed to work well.
Easier said than done but if we all at least tried, things would be so much better for mankind.
I am thinking that I want to start keeping a notebook of ideas for writing. An actual notebook that I keep on hand with me at all times so that I can jot down story ideas. I get ideas in my head all of the time and having a notebook with me to jot those ideas down will be helpful. When I don't actually write it down, it gets stored in my brain and will pop back up in my memories from time to time but I believe that writing it down will motivated me to actually flesh out the story ideas.
I have three different ideas that I am constantly thinking about for writings. One is a cookbook. People have been encouraging me to do that so that is a definite idea I want to explore. I'm working on pieces based on where I work and the experiences that I have had in senior living. And I'm working on creating a place of goodness. I think about the kind of place that I would ideally like to live in and have been figuring out the details of that. Having a notebook to write down notes about each of those ideas would be helpful.
I don't want to keep notes on my phone. While in some ways that would be helpful...the ease of technology and all that blah blah, I would rather go through the physical act of writing it down. For one, my phone is old and doesn't really have the kind of room on it I would need for extensive note taking. But also, if I write it down, I am more likely to build upon it. I only say this because I know how I work and taking the time to write it out will be more beneficial.
So, I will find myself a notebook to keep near me all the time. It may not turn out anything, but it can't hurt!
That may sound like such an obvious statement. In some ways, it is. But you need to remember that I spent almost 15 years with a time schedule that relied on another person. And when you are definitely the caregiver in the relationship, how you spend your time becomes less and less about you and more about the other person and the two of you as a couple. Again, there's nothing inherently wrong with that and honestly, I enjoyed that aspect of my relationships over the years. Now that I am not in a relationship, I am discovering that being in control of how I spend my time is a wonderful form of self-care.
It has taken me several years to get to the point that I can do what I want when I want. As you have heard me talk about before, I have been a list person for most of my adult life. It works for me. But within the confines of a relationship, those lists became the guiding factor of every day of my life. If I drifted away from the list, I felt lost because I feared it would negatively affect my relationship. So, I never did that. I stuck to the routine. I stuck to the lists that defined my contributions to my relationship. And I have since realized that this was not the healthiest thing to do.
Now I am in a relationship with myself and learning to take back control of my own time has been pretty eye opening. Relearning that I can spend my time exactly as I want to have made me much more relaxed in many ways. Yes, there are times that I do make a list these days because there are things that I need to get done and putting them in list form is now a reminder of those things and not a rigid schedule. I can appreciate that much more now. This past week, I have come home from work and asked myself each day what I wanted to do. Some nights I cooked, some nights I just sat and watched tv. I did not feel like I needed to constantly be doing something productive to show my worth to myself. My worth is coming from doing what I want to, when I want to.
It's a good feeling.
I have not thought about this duet for a long time but it popped into my brain earlier today. Closer Than Ever is a great revue with a lot of fantastic music in it. I used this song as the finale in the first revue I directed in college. Oh, those were the days!
In some ways, life has been pretty quiet around here. No surprises there, I am sure! But that is fine. I like the quiet most days. Still, I am trying to get out and do things for fun and last week was a good one for me. I went to the Outer Banks for a few days, I got to see a friend in a show, and I joined a handbell choir. All in all, not bad!
Every year at work, Gina, our Life Enrichment director, will take some residents to the beach for a few days. This year, they went to the Outer Banks. She asked me to go this year to help out in the kitchen and do some cooking. No one on our kitchen staff at work was able to go because staff is tight right now with several people out. I was more than happy to go on a paid vacation for a few days. I had wanted to get to the beach this year anyway and this was the perfect opportunity.
We had an absolutely wonderful time. The residents that were on the trip were so incredibly relaxed and chilled out. They were not demanding at all and very much went with the flow. We all enjoyed being in each other's company and doing some good sightseeing. Being at the coast is so relaxing for me. I could just sit and look at the water for hours. We were on the sound side of the Outer Banks and it was just beautiful. And at night, the stars were amazing. I am so glad that I went and cannot wait to do it again next year.
On Sunday, Marcia and I met in Sanford to see our friend Steve in Temple Theatre's production of 1776. That was just delightful. I had not seen the show on stage before, only the movie which I also enjoyed. I did not remember the movie being that funny, but the stage show was. And the music was great. There was one cast member I did not care for. Her acting was great, but her vocals were not right for the part she cast herself in. Steve played Ben Franklin and did an awesome job. It was so good to see him onstage again. We were able to go out after the show and visit some and have a good meal together. A fun afternoon.
Monday evening, I started handbell rehearsal. I joined one of the choirs at church. I was nervous at first because I had not played in several years and the choir I joined is the more advanced of the two choirs. But the group was very welcoming, and I had a good time. I did pretty good overall and no one seemed to notice when I messed up. I wasn't the only one so that was good. We rang through four different pieces, and it was so much fun for me. This group is going to be a lot of fun. They very much remind me of the group I rang with at FBC in Monroe when I was in high school. I can tell I am really going to enjoy this group.
It's fun to get out and do things. Let's hope that continues. Just let me know if you want to join in!
Loaded Corn Casserole
6 strips of bacon, diced
1 stick of butter
1 can of creamed corn
1 can of corn, drained
1 box of cornbread mix
1 cup of sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar
3 green onions, sliced
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 egg
Fry diced bacon. Melt the stick of butter and pour into a mixing bowl. Drain bacon and add 1 Tbsp of bacon grease to the butter. Stir in all other ingredients then add bacon to the mixture. Stir to combine. Pour into a 9x13 casserole dish. Cook at 350 for 40 minutes.
Enjoy!
When I was a theatre major way back when, one of the tools we used for character development was called packing. One of my professors, John Gulley, was huge into packing. This is where you take the character that you are given in a script and create a whole person from that. Yes, you know the basics of who the character is but in order to connect more personally with the character, you create his history. You create the story from where the character came from. What made him who he is today. You give the character qualities based on the history that you create. And this all has to be supported by the text. For instance, I could not say that Romeo was an alien life form coming to earth to discover the secrets of teenage love because that is not what Shakespeare has written. But I could create past experiences Romeo has had because of the Capulet/Montague feud that have affected his life and help him to become the young man that he is at the start of the play. That's packing. When I had my first big role in theatre at UNCG, I knew every aspect of the character. I had created a backstory that made sense and fit who Doug was. It was fun and added layers to my performance.
That is what I want to do with my life in a way. Not completely though because I will not be making up my history because it is already there. But I do need to use my personal history to lay the foundations of my future self. It's not like that is not already in progress every day. Our pasts shape our lives. I just want to recognize it more. I think about the events in my life that have truly shaped who I am today and I want to use those experiences in a positive way to create a better version of myself. I think about the kind of person I am striving to be, the qualities I want to see in myself that I have not really attained yet and use the packing tool to give me goals to fill in those gaps. Of course I would love for others to see those qualities too, but my main goal is for me. It may sound silly to think of oneself as a character in a play, but it makes sense in my mind.
This is all about becoming a better version of myself. It is not that I believe I am currently a bad version of myself. Not at all. I am liking myself more and more every day. I am enjoying spending time with myself. I just want to live my best life possible. When changes happen, both good and bad, I will be in a more complete place to roll with the punches and use those changes to be the person I want to be. We shall see how it goes.
The last thing I worked on was in my bedroom. I lumped my clothes together because they are in different spaces throughout my bedroom and I got rid of everything that I could no longer wear. It was more than I anticipated it would be but it gave me some good new space. And I have not filled up those spaces with more new clothes. I'm happy with what I have and will wear it until it's either worn out or I cannot wear it anymore. Hopefully the latter will be because the clothes are too big and not too small LOL So I will continue to work in my bedroom for the moment.
I recently rearranged the furniture in there because I needed a change. I absolutely love how it turned out and it has definitely given me more floor space. The room feels bigger. When I moved the bed, I found several containers of items that belonged to Michael. I put them out in the garage with a few of his other things. And I saw that there are still several containers under the bed that need to be gone through. That will be my next few things to do with this project. Hopefully I will find some fun things I had forgotten about and also things to let go of. We shall see!!
The entire world felt the loss of Dolly Parton earlier this week. While these things are inevitable, there was still no preparing for it. She was an amazing artist and an even greater person. And then the next day we lost Tim Curry. He's a personal favorite of mine simply because of my obsession with Clue. There have been many lists posted this week about Dolly and Tim, and it got me to thinking of the films that they made that I have not seen yet. I will have to add these to my Friday Night Movie nights!
1. Passed Away
2. Legend
3. Three Men in a Boat
4. The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
5. Ferngully; The Last Rainforest
6. Unlikely Angel
7. The Hunt for Red October
8. Smoky Mountain Christmas
9. Straight Talk
10. Christmas On the Square
