Some great local musical acts will be at the Musica (51 E. Market St.) this weekend. On Friday A Band Named Ashes is on the bill and Saturday’s lineup includes favs The Strange Familiar and Ryan Humbert. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. I’ve never been to Musica for a concert and I would think about going but I feel waaaaayyyyy too old to stand in a crowded concert hall for a couple hours. How sad is that? If you’re interested, here’s more info: http://www.akronmusica.com/
Musica hosts local favorites this weekend
January 26th, 2012Akron Glassworks’ workshops start next month
January 26th, 2012
Sorry I didn’t get this out earlier — half the workshops are full already and they don’t even start until next month! But if you’re looking for something different to do, and have some extra $$$ (it’s $45 a person), it’s a pretty cool experience. Last year for Valentine’s Day my husband and I did this and we each made a heart paperweight. Visit their Web site for details: http://www.akronglassworks.com/Workshops.php
New show in Beachwood added
January 26th, 2012I was recently invited to participate in an exhibit featuring artists using “found objects” in the art space at the Beachwood Community Center, 25325 Fairmount Blvd. The show runs March 29-April 21 with an opening reception Sunday, April 1 from 1:30-3. I hope to have several new pieces to debut there.
Trying to control my addictions of …
January 25th, 2012Wint-o-Green Lifesavers and Coke. I was eating the Lifesavers like, well, candy. They’re only 15 calories a piece, but it adds up when you eat like 20-25 a day. (They help me think.) So as of yesterday I’m on a nine-mint-a-day plan. It’s difficult, especially when I’m at the studio trying to figure out a piece. We’ll see. I can’t switch to gum because the last two times I chewed it I lost fillings and it cost me a bunch of money!! I’m also trying to cut back on my once-a-day Coke. Not eliminate totally, but cut back. Gee, if I do that, I won’t have any vices left. Because as we all know, a chocolate habit is not a vice.
May-December romances …
January 25th, 2012creep me out. I actually don’t care who’s older — the guy or the girl. Couples like Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes (okay, I just find Tom Cruise incredibly creepy in general), and Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart bother me as much as couples like Demi Moore and Ashton Kucher, Jennifer Lopez and Casper Smart, and Madonna and whichever 20-something guy she happens to be with. It’s like they’re canoodling with their moms or dads (or in Madonna’s case, she was reportedly as old as her ex Jesus Luz’ grandmother). Yeech. Yeah, I know. Love is love and who am I to judge? But I’m not judging, I’m giving my opinion. And my opinion is that it’s creepy!
Am I buying a new phone … or a new car?
January 25th, 2012My phone went kaput over the weekend, so I was in the market for a new one. I could care less about what kind of phone I get, so my husband did the research and sent me to Best Buy to check out some models. We had decided to go with Virgin Mobile, where we can just go month-to-month instead of having a long contract. When I went into the “mobile services” department or whatever it’s called, there were two salespeople who both had customers sitting at in front of them. Apparently buying a new phone is no longer an easy transaction, i.e., you look at a phone, you pick one out, you buy it. Now you actually have to sit down to discuss options and fill out paperwork? I guess since mobile phone service now costs over a thousand dollars a year for most people, it’s inevitable. It all just seems too complicated for me. BTW if you are looking for a phone to use with Virgin Mobile, they’re kind of buried amongst the regular racks. I guess since the stores aren’t going to make too much money on the deal, why use up valuable retail space? It just seems crazy to me.
Computer dating … as old as me??
January 25th, 2012On an episode of Mary Tyler Moore from 1971, “computer dating” was mentioned. Computer dating in 1971? I was shocked. Then a wee bit of research taught me that computer dating actually began in 1966 by two college students who thought this would be a great way to meet girls. So, along with two friends (including former Supreme Court Nominee Douglas Ginsburg!), they worked up a multi-page questionnaire that was both whimsical and scientific. Interested people sent $3 to “Operation Match” to participate. The students paid a computer science student $100 to write a program code to match up questionnaires. Data was transferred to punch cards. The students were allowed to use a room-sized computer from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. to finish the process, which took about six weeks! Participants then got a letter with the names and phone numbers of those to whom they were matched. Crazy, isn’t it? BTW the full article I got this info from is: http://www.damninteresting.com/forty-years-of-computer-dating/
“Guitarmania” prospective designs on Web site
January 25th, 2012
On the “Guitarmania” Web site, you can take a look at the 150+ designs that artists submitted for possible selection by corporate sponsors. Mine is in the third row on the right (also shown here). Fellow artists Terry Klausman and Katina Pastis Radwanski, who work with me on the third floor of Summit Artspace, are also represented.
MTM revisited
January 22nd, 2012As a kid, my family (which meant me too since there was only one TV) watched “Mary Tyler Moore”, which ran from 1970-1977. Even though I was very young when I watched the show, I admired Mary’s character, especially her independence. Curiously enough, when the series began, Mary’s character was single, 30 and living alone. Guess who else was single and living alone when she was 30? Granted, 30 then is like 40 now, but still, she was a great role model. When someone once told me I reminded him of “Mary”, I was very flattered! Anyhoo, when I was trying to rest my bum ankle recently, I borrowed a DVD from the library of the first season. I was curious about what I would think now. Would the show seem dated and lame? After watching the pilot episode, I was shocked by how well this series has stood the test of time. I mean, it’s 41 years old, but many of the issues still come into play. For example, under false pretenses, Mary and Rhoda join a club for divorced people. I actually didn’t realize there would have been enough people divorced in 1970 to have a club! In another episode, Mary feels funny dating a man who’s much shorter than she is. As a tall woman, I could relate. I was also curious about how old the actors were in real life when they started filming, especially Ed Asner. Was I now the age he was then, I wondered? Well, if we arbitrarily pick a date of January 1, 1970 as when they started filming, Ted Knight would have been 46; Clorice Leachman, 43; Ed Asner, 40; Gavin McLeod, 38; Mary Tyler Moore, 33; and Valerie Harper, 29. The curious part is that Ed Asner’s character is supposed to be 45 (as explained in the last episode of the first season) his wife is supposed to be 43 AND in the first season the LAST of his three daughters gets married. Eek! His character is my age now with three grown kids all married off! Anyhoo, I ended up watching all but one show from the first season. Not every episode was perfect, but overall, it’s a great show — a real “classic”.
“We take care of our own”
January 22nd, 2012As I write this, I am listening to Bruce Springsteen’s newly released single, “We take care of our own”. It’s the first single from the upcoming album “Wrecking Ball”. It’s not an E Street song, understandable with Clarence Clemons’ recent death. But I really like it. I know the lyrics express Springsteen’s feeling of being let down with what’s been happening in our country, and how we’re not really “taking care of our own”, but the tempo and chorus are so upbeat you can’t be depressed.