Struggling

Whew, another Friday has arrived. How has it happened that I’ve not been to Taco Mac since last Friday and I have no immediate plans to go there soon? Who am I?

Seriously, Why Must I Be Tested?
Last night was supposed to be a fun night at the theatre (and it was to some extent, but more on that later). I had “dinner” (deviled eggs, three-halves) and a beer at Table 1280 and before settling in for what I was hoping to be a smallish theatre crowd for a Thursday night. I should have known that wouldn’t be the case because the Woodruff Arts parking garage was full when I arrived, and as I entered Table 1280 I notice a slew of college-aged kids milling about. It turns out that, in addition to the Atlanta Symphony and Bring It On (the musical) at the Alliance, that Georgia Tech was holding some social which involved all venues tied to the Woodruff Arts Center.

I was an early arrival for seating (surprised?) and when three college “kids” sat behind me and started talking, and started talking about just getting up if they didn’t like the play, I nearly changed seats. But I didn’t, because I didn’t want them to know that they were responsible for my seat change and I was sitting where I wanted to (stubborn much?). Boy, do I ever wish that I had changed seats….

As the theatre filled, and not but a few minutes before the play’s start, a college kid (male, Caucasian, approximately twenty-years of age) sat next to me. He coughed twice. I once again considered moving, but now I was somewhat pinned into my row. All through the motherfucking (one hour, forty-minute no-intermission) play this kid coughed and sniffled. What. The. Fuck! I am not going to lie to you…. I turned my back to this kid as if I were a scorned lover, and attempted to breathe air from the furthest point from his space. If I wind up getting sick because this kid decided he didn’t mind spreading his germs like Typhoid Mary I might hunt him down and pulverize him (once I regain my strength of course).

I sucked down a Emergen-C once I arrived home and another one this morning.

ITP Flickr Pic
None. I should have taken a photo of Coughie McCough-A-Lot so I can track him down if I get sick this weekend.

Carapace: The Play
Do you know what carapace means? I didn’t, at least until last night.

I had no idea what to expect from Carapace. I’d not read any plot summaries, nor had I seen any reviews. When the non-sick GT kid sitting on the other side of me asked me if I had ever seen any plays at the Hertz Stage, and if so what I thought of them, I told him that I had and that it’d been somewhat hit and miss.

While waiting for the play to start I scanned the Playbill and saw that the play was about an estranged father trying to make amends with his daughter.

If you want to see the play and be surprised, or if you are not comfortable with father/daughter relationships you probably want to skip ahead now…

There are two major plot points to Carapace

1. Dad (Jeff) is a sports anchor for a Minnesota news channel and is a recovering alcoholic.
2. Daughter (Margot) suffers from stuttering and has major difficulties speaking.

At age twenty Margot comes to grips with her dad’s drinking problems and decides that she cannot move on with her life if she continues to see him, so she asks him never to contact her again.

For the next two and a half years Jeff gets treatment for his alcoholism and stays sober, until one night talking to his ex-brother-in-law when he decides that he needs to make contact with Margot again. His plan is to stop by a pet store and buy Margot a tortoise and bring it to her for her birthday.

(Flashback to Margot’s high school years)
Due to her speech impediment Margot attempted to get out of giving a speech about reptiles, tortoises being her favorite, because she was afraid of the taunting she’d receive. Her father, then quite the alcoholic, forced her to give the speech, but before doing so forced her to let him improve the speech. I his drunken stupor he managed to add fifteen lines which started with sounds which would cause Margot’s stuttering to trigger. Upon returning home from school that day Margot was in tears and when her, then further drunken father, decided to present her with a terrarium for a tortoise she punches the glass in anger (a prop which I thought was pretty cool).

Purchasing a tortoise and bringing it over with the materials needed to repair the terrarium was Jeff’s symbolic gesture for fixing his relationship with Margot. Except there were some hiccups. For one, Jeff’s plan involved drinking Makers Mark to “sooth his nerves;” Jeff was unable to purchase a tortoise because the kid at the pet store recognized him from rehab and would only sell him a turtle; and finally, Jeff had to break into his ex-wife’s house in order to get the old terrarium and Margot’s current address.

Upon getting all of the items Jeff approaches Margot’s house, which is on the other side of a river — the one which had a bridge collapse a few years back, only to nearly destroy all of the progress Margot has made during the years of separation.

Mortified Jeff decides that actions are stronger than words (a phrase his ex-brother-in-law instilled in him) and drives through the road closure signs, off the collapsed bridge, and into the river.

And this is how the play ended.

Uplifting? Hell no. Well acted and am I glad I went? Hell yes, with the exception of the damn sick kid sitting next to me…

Administration Note
Monday is Presidents Day! For twelve of my fourteen years at my current company this was no big deal. However, now I get the day off from work! So, there is a good chance that there will be no blog on Monday.

But there is also a chance that there will be.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – defeated
Current Music – silence at the moment
Website Of The Day – Need a bit of a pick-me-up after my play description? Check out the illustrations at Story People.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – didn’t check

Monthly
Foot Mileage – 28.0 miles
Wheel Mileage – 0 miles
Pushups – 0
Situps – 0
Stairs – 0 flights

Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 5 (5)

Vegetarian Days – 4*
Carnivorous Days – 13

Marta Rides To Work – 0
Bike Rides To Work – 0

February Goals
– Not to get sick for the entire month FAIL
– Not get fired from my job
– Run no fewer than 75 miles
– Lose two pounds
– Go out on a date with someone else
– Read an entire book

2011 Goals [will be a little more fluid than in past years]
– Reduce my weight by 25 pounds based on the my weight as measured on February 1st
– Completely read the book Daily Negations which I received as a Christmas gift.
– Run Sharpened Stone as a real business — one which does not get penalized.
– Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
– Attend at least one professional photography workshop
– Enter no fewer than three photographic competitions / gallery showings
– Ride in no fewer than five 50 mile or 50K bike rides
– Run in no fewer than two half-marathons
– Submit at least one application under the name “Sharpened Stone” to Apple’s iOS store

The Unmeasurable
– Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
– Become a proficient programmer in Objective-C
– Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem
– Eat smaller portions

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]