Taking a Knee, Respectfully.

I have come around on the Take A Knee thing. I might choose a different way to protest but I especially appreciate those who take a knee while placing a hand on their heart. To me that is a solemn statement of sad recognition that we are not living up to the sacrifices of those revered heroes who have gone before:

• when people are killed because of the color of their skin,

• when a president condemns Americans who stand or kneel for their beliefs but laughs with and downright grovels toward Russians who tried (and succeeded IMO) in subverting our republic.

Taking a knee with hand (or cap) on heart, is opposite of disrespectful it seems to me. How can that be read as disrepectful? It is peaceful. It is quiet. It is, in fact, respectful in every way. It seems a cry of sorrow that our nation is not living up to its heritage, to our noble founding tenets. Anyone who considers "Taking A Knee" as being disrespectful to our "..flag... and the republic for which it stands" isn't paying attention. And I like that the second player, not comfortable with kneeling himself, places his hand on his teammates shoulder to support the right of his friend to express his beliefs.

Given the controversy, I'd prefer these folks find a different way to protest. But I also realize that this brings great attention to their cause, and it is an issue that needs great attention.

CPR for my out-dated iPhone...

Please excuse my rant:

I have been aggravated about my iPhone for weeks. It has slowly discharged and inconsistently charged. At times, do what I would, it would not charge. I lost service altogether for hours. I tried every charging option I have access to with inconsistent results.

When I took it to the Verison store where I bought it, the guy expressed shock that I still tried to get by with an old model (iPhone 6plus) and tried to sell me a new one. Sorry, but I expect my phone to last longer than two years. I even suggested that maybe the port just needed cleaning? He said I needed to wipe the memory and restore the phone to its original settings.

Today I took it to CPR (Cell Phone Repair) on Shorter Ave at Elizabeth St. The guy took about 30 seconds to diagnose the problem and returned it to proper order within a minute or so and charged me absolutely nothing. It is charging as we speak at full tilt.

The problem: pocket lint in the port.

Granted, you'd think at 70 I'd have enough common sense to keep a can of compressed air and blow out the dadgum port myself every now and then. But give me a break, Verison. You are so intent on selling new phones you can't check for lint in the port before you recommend trashing the phone and upgrading?

So: I highly commend for your consideration CPR for cellphone repair. Verison? Not so much.

https://www.cellphonerepair.com/rome-ga/

From the Director (Spelling Bee)

 As I waxed eloquent on the first day of this month, I think the director (ahem, my daughter) of the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Rome Little Theatre pulled off a near perfect community theater production. I wanted to preserve her Director's note from the printed program here:

Senior Storytelling Festival

I had a great time telling stories at the First Annual Senoia Storytelling Festival “Stories Come Alive!” sponsored by Southern Order of Storytellers and Southern Crescent Storytellers. Thanks to Anne Wallace, Neal Peebles and everyone concerned.

I got to present twice. First I told one of my favorite spooky stories that I call “The First Lieutenant’s Jacket” about a strange encounter my great great grandfather Nathan Wood had on the first Halloween after Appomattox. Later I got to tell my version of an Abenaki story I learned from Joe Bruchac called “Turtle on the Warpath”. The first photo below was taken just at the point when Skunk demonstrates his “Mighty Weapon”.

Afterwards Sheila and I walked around Senoia which is perhaps best known as the setting for The Walking Dead.

Yes to Development

A year ago we were in a battle to preserve a full 80 acres of city-owned parkland.

I lead a group of children and parents on a tour of the wetlands and the "Duck Pond."

One child marches through what was, till the recent drought, a beaver pond.

These kids fought with us adults to save the beloved "Duck Pond" area from development. 

We gathered for the walk at the city amphitheater directly across little Dogwood Road from the area slated for a strip mall.

In that fight we had to fend off accusations of being "tree-huggers" who oppose all development. That has never been true. Barring an international disaster, Rome WILL be further developed. Everyone knows that. The question is whether that development will be haphazard and led by profiteers or led by city leaders with eyes for posterity, what I like to call "Hundred Year Eyes".

These wildflowers will be buried under many feet of fill material needed to raise the "Duck Pond" area slated to be completely filled to bring it to the level of Riverside Parkway.

Well, we lost the "Duck Pond" but we managed to preserve 70 acres of the property for our kids and grandkids under a permanent land bank agreement. Eventually that greenspace will be crossed with trails and boardwalks connecting our Jackson Hill Park with our Ridge Ferry Park and making, at least de facto, the Central Park we have dreamed of.

The children examine the hoof prints of deer in the dried mud of the "Duck Pond". This area will be buried under 20 feet or more of fill.

Now we have an opportunity to put our votes behind some sensible development. The 2017 Splost and E-Splost votes deserve your support. They do NOT infringe significantly on floodplain, but instead provide city and county support to responsible development AND preservation.

Walking through the beaver pond area.

For an example: the North Fifth Avenue section of downtown is , let's face it, in real need of a facelift. By the city extending the Streetscape from the river to Avenue A will make that biut of downtown much more attractive for citizens and visitors, and encourage responsible and attractive business growth.

The dried up "Duck Pond".

In a hundred years, when our eyes are closed, our foresight will be recognised by the cititizens of a much larger Rome. Like we praise the Nobles for building that controversial City Clocktower, and Daniel Mitchell for making our center thoroughfare TWO chains wide earing it the right to be a truly Broad Street", and Max Meyerhardt and others for planting a big library in the heart of town, and Casey Hine and others for reviving a "ghost town" downtown with the Streetscape program.

The idea of what the Fifth Avenue enhancements might look like.

The whole group.

One of the entrances to the beaver lodge.

Our Two-Cents Worth

Our Two-Cents Worth

The penny we and our county's visitors pay toward upgrading educational facilities is a great bargain. I have watched that penny build critically needed classrooms onto my beloved fourth-grade wing at Armuchee Elementary School. I taught in one of those added classrooms for a dozen years. I try to remember every time I pay that penny on each dollar: what a bargain I'm getting.

Local Option Sales Taxes are a vital way for local communities to fund the public facilities the community itself chooses as important. In November we have the opportunity to continue the sales tax at the current level. The sales tax is paid not only by you and me the proud citizens of Floyd, but also by every customer of Floyd County businesses who comes here from Chattooga or Walker or Gordon or Bartow or Polk or Cherokee (AL) to enjoy paddling our rivers, eating at our restaurants, or visiting our symphony or theater or rock or sports or festival events. So I am pleased to support BOTH the Education AND the regular SPLOST for renewal. Those two cents are a pretty doggone painless way to fund some very important projects.

Rome and Floyd County are found regularly on lists of great places to live. Attractive and effective school facilities, parks, kayak and boat launches, good water and sewage treatment facilities, well-equipped police and fire departments, and even riverwalks, golf courses, tennis centers, all contribute to that. They bring jobs and economic development to our community every year. 

As a teacher in the Armuchee community for many years I have seen the need to upgrade our high school facility. It is past time. The penny we and visitors pay in sales tax for education purposes is a great bargain. The penny we and visitors pay for other public projects is also a great bargain.

Keep sales taxes right where they are for continued progress, jobs, and responsible economic growth in Rome and Floyd County. Vote yes, twice!

That's our two-cents worth.

‪#‎RomeFloydSplostYES‬
#RomeFloydEsplost

Gleaning Facebook: We Don't Lose Our Younger Ages...

I have heard my mother, Ruth Baird Shaw, express the thought (as Lillian notes below) many times during the last few decades that we don’t lose our younger selves but merely add new editions along the way. One of Mother’s degrees is in gerontology so I suppose it is not surprising that she considered stuff like that long before she became the nonagenarian she is now.

As I have grown older I have realized the truth of the many selves we collect. Somewhere in my skin are the awkward preteen, the insecure high-schooler, the head-over-heels 20-something, the striving teacher, the earnest entrepreneur, the aspiring actor, and many more versions of me. Sometimes an old Terrell will unexpectedly pop up. I have tried to use ‘The Method” in my acting, and I imagine Strasberg & Adler would agree that to successfully inhabit a role one must spend some time in his mental attic sorting through that collection of selves and trying them on to see if they fit the role.

I was happy to read in Lillian’s ‘Director’s Note’ that a grandmother’s wisdom is being applied in a new situation.

Gleaning Facebook: Johnny Blalock at the DeSoto

One of the joys of living to seventy in the town where you taught for several decades is running into those kids from decades ago. John(ny) Blalock was at this afternoon's performance of Spelling Bee at the Historic DeSoto Theater and was kind enough to e-mail this picture to his old teacher.

 

A Different Kind of Spelling Bee

Two bits of writing I never posted here about a Rome Little Theatre production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

--------------

Hyperbole is rampant at every community theater. I have been a part of several productions that I really enjoyed, but that had major flaws. Still you heard the boasts: "Broadway quality!" "Best show ever!" So I wouldn't blame you for taking the following with a grain of salt. 

But if it's hyperbole, I've been snookered.

Rome Little Theatre's production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee was an outstanding community theater presentation of a great little musical. Some may have been put off by the less than exciting name. It was a side-splitting grown-up comedy about the drama of pre-teen angst. The voices were strong, the acting convincing, the musicians polished, the light and sound almost flawless, the choreography outstanding, the direction spot on. 

I sincerely believe this little show could be moved, as is, to New York City and get decent reviews. ("Broadway quality!") 

Young Leaf (Zac Mitchell) is just flat amazing. Absolutely convincing in his innocence and enthusiasm. Every male in the audience will remember with chagrin, and heart-felt sympathy, the precious agony of Chip (Russell Evans.) I have taught kids like sweet Olive (Sophia Veser) who befriend the borderline autistic kids, somehow intuitively sensing the fragile humanity behind the caustic exterior. Those are just a third of the top-notch cast.

James Swendsen as William Barfee was hilarious and definitely somewhere on the neurotic/psychotic spectrum. James has an outstanding voice and is fearless in creating a character. His "Magic Foot" spelling technique was splendidly interpreted. There were times when I wished he had given us a little more reason to root for William and perhaps even cheer for Olive to love him. But on the other hand his unpleasant neorotic behavior gave the show many of its best laughs. 

Yes, the director is my daughter. She used considerable smarts in putting together a convincing cast and outstanding production, musical, dance, and technical crews.

Granted the small cast and simple set make for less complicated staging. Still I have seen many plays at the RLT since 1963's wonderful Arsenic and Old Lace at the old Maple Street Theater. I remember with great affection Peter Pan 1991, Wizard of Oz 1993, Fiddler 2000, Hairspray 2013, 9 to 5 2017. I have seen no better RLT production overall than Spelling Bee. ("Best show ever!")

-----------------

Opening Night:

Opening tonight!

This is a funny, entertaining show.

I am particularly taken with the convincing innocent enthusiasm of Leaf (Zac Mitchell) and the earnestness of little Logainne (Haley Pendleton). Old pro Russell Evans gets to bring the house down as Chip at the beginning of Act II with his pubescent lament, and then pop on and off stage as several minor characters ranging from a gay father to the Lord, himself. There is not a weak spot in the cast.

The show includes small amounts of crude and even brief profane language, seemingly a required element of plays written in this century. There is a hilariously funny segment with a sexual component (mentioned above) that will hit home with every male older that 12. I am a little uncomfortable with the Lord's appearance. It is funny but potentially offensive to some. On the other hand, I suspect the Lord has a sense of humor, after all he created the platypus, Sid Caesar, and sex. And although his eye is on the sparrow I think the outcomes of spelling bees, football games, and (most) other human contests really are not a primary concern of One who loves us all. 😊

Despite those notes, I think most folks will enjoy this exploration of pre-teen/teen angst at the spelling bee. The acting, singing, accompaniment, direction are outstanding.

(Did I mention my daughter is the director?)

It is a rare that an opening night in community theater goes off without a hitch, Spelling Bee did. Ok, Ok, I noticed an actor flub one line, but he stayed in character and made it minimally distracting. Sound guy Greg claimed he'd had some glitches, but I doubt anyone not associated with the production knew it. This was an outstanding opening night.

It is often a joy to see the difference between the final dress rehearsal and opening night. As I wrote yesterday, I was very favorably impressed by the performance before it opened, but the presence of a strong, responsive opening night audience juiced the actors. The added and genuine vitality that exuded from all nine performers from lights-up till final bow was wonderful.

It is hilarious. Your face will hurt from the laughing.

Kudos to all involved.

Stage crew, musicians, choreographer, lights; sound, the surprise pas de deux, actors, directors/producers --- all.

AS the amazing director (my daughter), has written, this is a difficult play to promote to those unfamiliar with it. It is about kids but not for kids. A PG-13 spelling bee play for heaven's sake?! So we must depend upon word-of-mouth. If you attended and enjoyed it, spread the word. Get this production the big audiences it deserves.

And my usual prudish note: This is an adult performance with some cussin' and (hilarious) sexual references. There is also an absurd appearance by the Lord, himself. So if you bring the kids you may have some 'splaining to do.